Besides the action film, the genre that most lends itself to clichés and cookie cutter traits is comedy. This is what makes a movie like "The Royal Tenenbaums" so enjoyable. There is no comedy in the last few years that is as original as "Tenenbaums". It is by the same pairing that brought "Bottle Rocket" and "Rushmore", with Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson writing, and Wes Anderson directing.

In the inventive style of telling the movie like reading the chapters of a novel, we are told the story of the Tenenbaum family from their early childhood to their adulthood. This (with off screen narration by Alec Baldwin, whose voice provides a strong, but not distracting, presence) gives a very memorable outline to an already memorable story.

Of all the acting (all of it good) the best performance is easily Gene Hackman, as the title character, Royal Tenenbaum. The character is a tactless, tasteless, unsympathetic, man whose reasons to try and reform his family are questionable at best. Slowly though, as he truly starts to realize what he's missed for all those years, you warm up to him. Much was made over the fact that Hackman was passed over for an Academy Award nomination, and that fact becomes obvious upon viewing.

Two other actors that deserve recognition for their roles in this movie are Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. Bill Murray as Raleigh St. Clair is a very understated role for someone whose characters are often times flamboyant and over the top. The character of Raleigh is almost amusing simply to because of how low-key Murray plays him.

One final note about this movie is it's amazing soundtrack. Music doesn't often jump out at me in a movie. It just sits there in the background, filling in quiet moments. Here, it comes out and grabs you right from the beginning. With songs like, "Hey Jude", "Ruby Tuesday", "Judy is a Punk", "Me and Julio Down by the School Yard", and a very haunting "Needle in the Hay". Each song is perfect for their scenes and it's hard to imagine what the scenes would be like without them.