Even by New York standards, families don't come more dysfunctional than the Tenenbaums. But the beauty of Wes Anderson's offbeat tale of overachieving kids and prodigal fathers is that it manages to make its bizarre characters not only likeable but almost believable. Okay, so the movie's determinedly quirky and too elliptical for its own good, but a string of great moments make any gripes seem curmudgeonly.
DVD Extras:
Beautifully illustrated cartoon menus lifted straight from the movie (courtesy of Anderson's brother Eric), plus a series of interviews, outtakes and an extended featurette on Anderson mean this is marred only by the absence of a director's commentary. If ever a film cried out for a commentary track, it's this one. Still, at least there's adequate compensation in the shape of TV talk show The Peter Bradley Show, a painfully embarrassing catalogue of bloopers, fluffed lines and mispronounced names hosted by a presenter who looks to be on the verge of an on-air nervous breakdown.
