The Royal Tenenbaums poster

The Royal Tenenbaums

2001170 minutesR
3.6
Arcplot Score
📝 Unconventional
Unverified
7.6IMDb
🍅 81%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 76/100Metacritic
🎬 7.5TMDb
📊 3.3Popularity
🏆Nominated for 1 Oscar. 11 wins & 46 nominations total
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Written by: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
Three grown prodigies, all with a unique genius of some kind, and their mother are staying at the family household. Their father, Royal had left them long ago, and comes back to make things right with his family.

Box Office

Budget:$21.0M
Revenue:$71.4M
Profit:$50.4M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision5.8/10
Emotional Arc Impact1/10
Thematic Consistency4/10
Overall Score3.6/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

The Royal Tenenbaums Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
5 min
3
Set-Up
20 min
4
Catalyst
35 min
5
Debate
50 min
6
Break Into Two
65 min
7
B Story
80 min
8
Fun and Games
100 min
9
Midpoint
110 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
130 min
11
All Is Lost
145 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
150 min
13
Break Into Three
160 min
14
Finale
165 min
15
Final Image
170 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

The Tenenbaum family is introduced: a once-brilliant but now fractured household with past failures and quirky dysfunction.

#2

Theme Stated

5 min

Family, forgiveness, and reconciliation are central: can estranged relationships be healed despite past betrayals?

#3

Set-Up

20 min

Royal returns to his family after years of absence, reigniting old tensions and stirring hidden desires and regrets.

#4

Catalyst

35 min

Margot, Chas, and Richie confront their personal crises, forcing the family to address their dysfunction head-on.

#5

Debate

50 min

Can the family forgive Royal and each other? Conflicting emotions create tension and uncertainty.

#6

Break Into Two

65 min

The Tenenbaums attempt reconciliation, confronting old grudges while navigating individual challenges.

#7

B Story

80 min

Richie and Margot’s relationship deepens emotionally, highlighting the personal stakes amidst familial chaos.

#8

Fun and Games

100 min

Quirky interactions, comedic mishaps, and character-driven antics showcase the Tenenbaum family dynamics.

#9

Midpoint

110 min

Royal’s deception is revealed; tensions spike. False hope of resolution is challenged by betrayal and unresolved conflicts.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

130 min

Family members face the consequences of past actions, both emotionally and practically. Relationships fray further.

#11

All Is Lost

145 min

Royal’s schemes fail, and the family confronts the full weight of their dysfunction.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

150 min

Each family member reflects on mistakes, regrets, and the possibility of reconciliation.

#13

Break Into Three

160 min

The family comes together for final resolutions and confronts emotional truths.

#14

Finale

165 min

Reconciliation, forgiveness, and personal growth for the Tenenbaum family — emotional arcs conclude.

#15

Final Image

170 min

The family is together, slightly dysfunctional but closer, showing love, acceptance, and quirky optimism.