The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums doesn't dominate, but it wins consistently. 56% across 109 head-to-head matchups is a strong bracket record — well above the 50% that means winning as often as losing. The Anderson film with the biggest heart and the cast people can name from memory: Gene Hackman as a disgraced patriarch talking his way back into his family's townhouse, with Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and both Wilson brothers around him. Hackman's Royal is the best performance in any of these films, which counts for a lot when the choice is between Andersons.
Synopsis
Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
The round-by-round numbers don't move much: 60%, 46%, 63%. The Royal Tenenbaums's strength isn't in any particular round — it's in the absence of a round where it falls off.
At 48%, the matchup with Fantastic Mr. Fox is the tightest in The Royal Tenenbaums's record — close enough to go either way. The extremes tell a clear story — 100% against Moonrise Kingdom at one end, 33% against The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou at the other.
Best of Wes Anderson is The Royal Tenenbaums's tournament to lose. The final against The Grand Budapest Hotel at 56% is competitive but the outcome is consistent.
Near the top of Wes Anderson's 8-film lineup on BingeBracket. Fantastic Mr. Fox at 70% is the benchmark; The Royal Tenenbaums at #3 isn't far behind.
#3 of 8 in Best of Wes Anderson.
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