The Rewatchables: ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald

Published 2021-01-12; 1:38:08 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “The Rewatchables (The Ringer)” and the episode “The Royal Tenenbaums with Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald”.

Hosts: Chris Ryan. Guests: Andy Greenwald.

Subject films: The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

On the transcript: No speaker labels and a few cold-open clips of the movie trailer are transcribed inline; Bill Simmons is absent, hosts are Chris Ryan and guest Andy Greenwald. Film dialogue clips are interleaved with discussion.

Awards and segments (58)

Most rewatchable scene

pick The pre-credit character introductions scored by Hey Jude
“The pre-credit character introductions that you mentioned is scored by, hey, Jude.”
Chris Ryan · 0:35:25
pick Royal at Margot's first play, when she is 11
“I always really love royal at Margot's 1st play.”
Chris Ryan · 0:35:32
pick Margot meets Richie at the pier (the Nico needle drop)
“Margot meets Richie at the pier.”
Chris Ryan · 0:36:29
pick Royal surreptitiously meets Ari and Uzi at the Y
“I always loved it when Royal goes to surreptitiously meet Ari and Uzi at the Y.”
Chris Ryan · 0:36:51
pick Richie's tennis meltdown and the broadcast
“Um, that leads to Richie's tennis meltdown where they actually show some of the broadcast and his uh, that 72 unforced errors.”
Chris Ryan · 0:37:36
pick Richie and Eli first meet, with Eli on mescaline
“Richie and Eli, when they 1st meet and Eli's on Mescalin.”
Chris Ryan · 0:37:57
pick Any scene with Eli Cash
“any scene with Eli Cash is rewatchable.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:38:04
pick Royal and his grandkids down by the schoolyard (the scrapping, yelling and mixing it up montage)
“Royal and his grandkids down by the schoolyard, the whole, the whole, uh, I mean, who is down by the schoolyard?”
Chris Ryan · 0:39:07
pick Henry busts Royal, then Richie and Royal outside the house (you were never dying)
“he figures out that he's taking tic-tacs and eating cheeseburgers and does not have stomach cancer”
Chris Ryan · 0:39:19
pick Royal and Ethel: baby, I'm dying
“the scene that the further I get from it, the more I just want to rewatch it.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:39:41
pick Margot's background file montage set to the Ramones
“I love the Margot, the Margot background file, montage with the Ramones, just just amazing shit.”
Chris Ryan · 0:42:02
pick The detective and the 'she's a smoker' punchline
“But also, the detective.”
Chris Ryan · 0:42:08
floated Richie's suicide attempt, set to Needle in the Hay
“Needle in the hay, attempted suicide, where she's attempted suicide, I think hits like a sledgehammer.”
Chris Ryan · 0:42:29
pick Margot and Richie in the tent
“the last one I have is Margot and Richie in the tent, uh, which is incredibly tender moment.”
Chris Ryan · 0:43:23
pick The opening Hey Jude montage introducing the characters, narrated by Alec Baldwin
“this movie starts with one of the more epic throat clearings I can remember”
Andy Greenwald · 0:43:37
pick Margot's background file montage
“I think the Margot background file montage is, for me, like the most effortless, effortlessly stylish and expository and wonderful sequence”
Andy Greenwald · 0:44:36

What's Aged the Best · What about the movie holds up best.

pick The Clash on Eli's stereo
“I thought I would mention the, uh, the fact that Eli is always listening to The Clash?”
Chris Ryan · 0:46:17
pick Bob Dylan's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid music
“I love, and also the use of Bob Dylan's music from Pat Garrett and Billy and the Kid, a couple of times is beautiful.”
Chris Ryan · 0:46:23
pick Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts Christmas music: Counts as the quintessential New York record.
“I want to shout out what is, to me, probably the quintessential New York record, certainly for 6 months of the year, which is Vince Gueraldi's Peanuts Christmas music.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:46:31
pick The Wilson brothers' performances: Sets aside Luke's later career; the Wilsons also go to Apex Mountain.
“I think that their performances in this movie, separate from one another, are remarkable.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:47:40
pick The Sunday New York Times magazine cover of Eli Cash
“I do want to say that what's aged the best is the Sunday New York Times magazine cover of Eli Cash.”
Chris Ryan · 0:51:36
pick Henry and Ethel's relationship
“my final what's age the best is um, Henry and Ethel's relationship, which might be the most human and sort of recognizable relationship in the movie in a lot of ways”
Chris Ryan · 0:51:46
pick Producer Barry Mendel and the decision to invest in Wes Anderson
“I feel like touched on pictures, producer Barry Mendel, like all their decisions to invest in Wes and let this be what it was going to be has aged really well.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:52:27
pick The physical comedy, including Danny Glover's fall at the archaeological site
“I would also say the underrated, but has aged really well in this movie is the physical comedy.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:53:28
pick The soundtrack
“I'm going to go with the soundtrack.”
Chris Ryan · 0:54:05

What's Aged the Worst · What about the movie plays worst now.

pick Margot and Richie's romance: Says he ended up less bothered by it than he remembered.
“Um, Margot and Richie's relationship, which I think is uh, very, very, very sweet and very um, star crossed and very depressing.”
Chris Ryan · 0:54:29
pick The Charlie Rose figure
“with another one of my what's aged the worst is the Charlie Rose figure in the movie kind of, uh, groping...”
Chris Ryan · 0:56:44
pick Royal's casual racism toward Henry (the Pete Coltrane lines)
“I flag this whole part is age the worst because it definitely, it bumped me out of my rewatch.”
Chris Ryan · 0:58:39
pick The slapstick wedding ending
“The only other thing I have for what's age, the worst is the ending, which is sort of this slapstick collision of all the plot lines and all the characters at this wedding”
Andy Greenwald · 0:58:51

Casting What-Ifs · Almost-castings and who they would cast today.

pick Gene Wilder as Royal Tenenbaum: Reported as the rumored third choice.
“the most significant one is the rumor that uh, Gene Wilder was considered for Royal Tenenbaum.”
Chris Ryan · 1:03:00
pick Michael Caine as Royal Tenenbaum: Reported as the second choice after Hackman balked at scale pay.
“it was so clear that he was going to say no that Wes and company turned to Michael Kane.”
Chris Ryan · 1:03:28
pick Robert Downey Jr. as Royal Tenenbaum: His pick to play Royal in a remake today.
“And that's Robert Downey Jr.”
Chris Ryan · 1:20:37
pick John Goodman as Royal Tenenbaum: His pick to play Royal today.
“I'm still hung up on the idea of someone who could be physically imposing and like could command a stage literally, but also do drama and comedy.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:21:34

Dion Waiters Award · Best small role.

nominee Bill Murray as Raleigh St. Clair
“I have, as both, I have Bill Murray and Stephen Lee Shepherd, uh, is who plays Dudley.”
Chris Ryan · 1:07:37
nominee Stephen Lee Shepherd as Dudley
“I have, as both, I have Bill Murray and Stephen Lee Shepherd, uh, is who plays Dudley.”
Chris Ryan · 1:07:37
nominee Larry Pine as the Charlie Rose figure
“I got to say, I really enjoy New York stage veteran Larry Pine as Charlie Rose figure.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:07:52
winner Kumar Pallana as Pagoda: Best moment is Pagoda at the window in the intervention scene: there he goes.
“It's Kumar Polana, who plays Pagoda.”
Chris Ryan · 1:07:59

Joey Pants Award · Best that guy.

winner Seymour Cassell as Dusty
“I'm gonna give to Seymour Cassell as Dusty.”
Chris Ryan · 1:08:35
nominee Eben Moss-Bacharach as the bellhop
“Yeah, and do you know who was the bellhop when Royal is moving out and is complaining about his missing encyclopedias is Eben Moss Bacharach”
Andy Greenwald · 1:08:47

Vincent Hanna Award · Best big, over-the-top performance.

winner Ben Stiller as Chaz Tenenbaum: Pitched at a different frequency than everyone else.
“I'm going to go with Stiller.”
Chris Ryan · 1:09:10
nominee Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum: Floated, not as a knock; Chris notes she is doing a lot of little.
“I think you could make the argument that Paltrow goes here too.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:09:23

Apex Mountain (renamed Mount Wilson) · Where a performance or career peaks.

winner Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson as Eli Cash and Richie Tenenbaum: Renamed Apex Mountain Mount Wilson for this episode.
“I mean, this is this is Mount Wilson, as far as I'm concerned.”
Andy Greenwald · 0:48:39
pick Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum: Floated as her peak; the hosts settle on Mount Wilson.
“This might be Gwyneth Apex Mountain as far as I'm concerned.”
Chris Ryan · 1:11:34

Who Won the Movie · Who came out ahead.

winner Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum
“For me, it's Gene Hackman.”
Chris Ryan · 1:32:15
winner Luke Wilson as Richie Tenenbaum: Says Luke Wilson, as the beating heart with his relationship with Margot.
“I think he is the sort of beating art of the movie.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:32:33

Ebert Review · What Roger Ebert gave it.

pick The Royal Tenenbaums: 3.5 stars; the review is not read aloud.
“Our guy, Roger Ebert gave this movie 3.5 stars.”
Chris Ryan · 0:28:01

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a movie they love.

pick Chaz's tracksuits are never explained
“My only thing is Chaz's tracksuits.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:21:59
pick Why Richie says he will kill himself tomorrow
“I've never understood why Richie says he's going to kill himself tomorrow.”
Chris Ryan · 1:22:46
pick Why Royal flips from bad to good: Decides it is 2021 brain wanting scripts to explain character changes.
“I had this as a knit and then I kind of chastise myself”
Andy Greenwald · 1:23:40
pick Raleigh St. Clair subplot: Doesn't mind it in the end.
“the Raleigh St. Clair subplot stuff with Dudley while really funny is kind of like, do you need this Oliver Sachs character?”
Chris Ryan · 1:25:21

Best Quotes · Favorite lines.

pick Chaz and Richie and the suicide note exchange
“My favorite moment is probably Chaz and Richie after Richie's tried to kill himself.”
Chris Ryan · 1:25:50
pick Royal: anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers in the cemetery
“Royal saying anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers in the cemetery.”
Chris Ryan · 1:26:16
pick Eli on the phone with Margot: why would a reviewer make the point of saying someone's not a genius
“I love when Eli is on the phone with Margot and says, why would a reviewer make the point of saying someone's not a genius?”
Chris Ryan · 1:27:31
pick Eli: everyone knows Custer died at Little Bighorn, what this book presupposes is, maybe he didn't
“My all-time favorite quote from the movie is probably, well, everyone knows Custer died at Little Bighorn. What this book presupposes is.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:28:21
pick Chaz: I've had a rough year, dad
“I mentioned it's been a rough year, dad.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:29:49

Probably Unanswerable Questions · Questions the movie leaves open.

pick How the Tenenbaums funded their lifestyle: Guesses Chaz and Richie pump money back into the family.
“I am always curious about how the kind of moms sort of funded their lifestyle.”
Andy Greenwald · 1:30:37

Half-assed internet research · Facts the hosts looked up.

pick 111 Archer is a real place, up in Harlem
“111 Archer is a real place.”
Chris Ryan · 1:15:27
pick The movie is full of real New York locations and products
“this is sort of half-assed internet research and half-assed me noticing research”
Andy Greenwald · 1:18:37

Films that came up

Claims (46)

lineage (influence-collage): The Royal Tenenbaums → Pulp Fiction. Both are 'emptying the cupboard' of their makers' influences and obsessions, introducing a whole cinematic world through soundtrack, look and talk.
“it's like pulp fiction or Grand Royal magazine, where it's just like the emptying of the cupboard of influences and obsessions.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:07:20 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (nostalgia-for-unlived-era): The Royal Tenenbaums → Mad Men. Both romanticize an era their audience didn't live through, with tactile detail.
“something like Mad Men, which we obviously didn't live through”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:07:35 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (nostalgia-collage): The Royal Tenenbaums → Stranger Things. Tenenbaums is the same celebratory collage of remembered culture as Stranger Things, but for indoor, reading kids.
“Tenenbaums hits really hard because it is that kind of Stranger Things celebratory, uh, um, collage, but for indoor kids.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:10:04 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
theme (cultural-impact-comparison): Wes Anderson → Quentin Tarantino. In 2001 there was a sense Anderson could be as significant a voice as Tarantino, who came slightly earlier.
“there was a feeling in 01 that I think he had a chance to be like as significant a voice as Tarantino.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:17:14 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
career (career-arc): Wes Anderson → The Darjeeling Limited. Darjeeling was his most serious but problematic film; the post-Tenenbaums low before childhood-return films rescued him.
“Darjeeling Limited is sort of the Nadir of his like, I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but these are some beautiful ideas and images.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:19:48 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career-arc): The Grand Budapest Hotel → The Royal Tenenbaums. Budapest wrestles with violence and history that Tenenbaums' sudden violence foreshadowed.
“Grand Budapest Hotel is kind of a masterpiece because it, in addition to being twee and delightful and absolutely hilarious, kind of wrestles with fascism and creeping violence”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:20:03 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (contemporary-comparison): Wes Anderson → Paul Thomas Anderson. The other Anderson; similar trajectory of staying uncompromised rather than going franchise.
“The filmmaker that I would bring up is a comparison. Um, and as a contemporary is the other Anderson is Paul Thomas Anderson.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:21:02 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (champion): Wes Anderson → Martin Scorsese. Scorsese backed both Anderson and PTA early.
“Wes Anderson, from his from Bottle Rocket. Scorsese was like, this is the kid.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:21:23 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career-parallel): The Royal Tenenbaums → Magnolia. Each is its director's third film, where they hit both their emotional-trauma vein and big Hollywood budgets; both blessed by Scorsese.
“Magnolia and Tenna bombs were each of their 3rd films.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:21:43 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (style-criterion-MTV): The Royal Tenenbaums → Magnolia. Both blend European-cinema love with music-video sensibility and lead with musical taste.
“it's basically like criterion MTV. They have the sensibility and the style of music videos”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:22:38 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Elliott Smith → The Royal Tenenbaums. Elliott Smith's music does almost all the emotional work in the Richie scene, the speaker says.
“So like when you're watching Richie, he's such a great, great character, but Elliot Smith does almost all of the work in that scene.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:23:21 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Nico → Jackson Browne. Nico's version of Jackson Browne's These Days is the needle drop at the Margot and Richie bus scene.
“I had never heard Nico's version of Jackson Brown's these days until the needle drops on that scene”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:23:42 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (needle-drops): The Royal Tenenbaums → Goodfellas. Tenenbaums ranks with Goodfellas and Boogie Nights as a great needle-drop movie.
“Goodfellas is up there, obviously, like Boogie Nights is up there, but the Tenenbaums might be one of the great needle drop movies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:23:59 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (needle-drops): The Royal Tenenbaums → Boogie Nights. Grouped with Goodfellas as a needle-drop landmark.
“Goodfellas is up there, obviously, like Boogie Nights is up there”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:23:59 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (franchise-contrast): Wes Anderson → Jurassic Park. Today's indie directors get drafted into franchises (Jurassic Park, Creed, Black Panther, Eternals); Anderson never would.
“you get drafted into franchise filmmaking incredibly fast now.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:30:26 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (literary-source): The Royal Tenenbaums → Franny and Zooey. The movie is a Salinger pastiche; Anderson would need a Salinger adaptation as IP cover today.
“he would have to make Franny and Zooey. Like he would have to make an adaptation of a Salinger novel”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:31:25 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
people (casting-lesson): The Royal Tenenbaums → Briarpatch. Casting Briarpatch taught him there are no Hackmans: physically imposing, menacing and funny.
“when I was making Briar Patch and I was trying to cast the lead part, I was like, there are no Gene Hackman.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:33:37 · Andy Greenwald (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career-peak): Gene Hackman → The Conversation. Tenenbaums sits among Hackman's best alongside a list of 70s-80s films.
“it's up there with the conversation and night moves and French connection and Crimson Tide and Hoosiers.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:34:42 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Beatles → The Royal Tenenbaums. The opening montage, narrated by Alec Baldwin, is set to an orchestral Hey Jude.
“it's a Alec Baldwin narrated, as we said, set to Hey Jude, magical mystery tour, through the lives of people we had never heard of.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:43:37 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Royal Tenenbaums → Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. The film uses Bob Dylan's music from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid a couple of times.
“and also the use of Bob Dylan's music from Pat Garrett and Billy and the Kid, a couple of times is beautiful.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:46:23 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Vince Guaraldi → The Royal Tenenbaums. Guaraldi's Peanuts Christmas music is called a building block of the Upper West Side nostalgia aesthetic the film runs on.
“I want to shout out what is, to me, probably the quintessential New York record, certainly for 6 months of the year, which is Vince Gueraldi's Peanuts Christmas music.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:46:31 · Andy Greenwald (0.70 sure it was them)
unmapped (New-York-nostalgia): The Royal Tenenbaums → Hannah and Her Sisters. The Upper West Side ice-cream-shop nostalgia is experienced through scenes like Hannah and Her Sisters and Paul Simon records.
“only experienced through, like, you know, random scenes in Hannah and her sisters and early Paul Simon solo records.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:46:49 · Andy Greenwald (0.55 sure it was them)
career (career-comparison): Luke Wilson → Marley & Me. Joking about Wilsons' dog movies (Owen starred in Marley & Me).
“Owen Wilson was the star of Marley and me.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:48:21 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (sibling-chemistry): Luke Wilson → Owen Wilson. Real brothers known since childhood to Anderson; together they write and play opposite energies.
“when you look at Owen as Eli and Luke as Richie, you're seeing what people who have known them their whole lives see in them.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:49:42 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
people (cast-continuity): The Royal Tenenbaums → Bottle Rocket. The Wilsons also play non-brothers with very different energies in Bottle Rocket.
“the same thing is with Bottle Rocket, where they also don't play brothers.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:50:05 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
people (performance-echo): Luke Wilson → Jackass Number Two. A deleted-scene clip of Luke Wilson electrocuting himself with an old telephone reads as Richie Tenenbaum.
“I'm just like, you are Richie Tenenbaum.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:50:50 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (influence): The Royal Tenenbaums → Jean-Luc Godard. The mosaic of book covers was inspired by a Godard movie doing something similar.
“he was inspired by, I think it was a Godard movie that did something similar, of course.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:53:10 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (theme-adolescent-sex): Moonrise Kingdom → Rushmore. Rushmore's childlike sex talk vs. Moonrise confronting adolescent sex directly.
“Later, I think in Moonrise Kingdom, he sort of more directly confronts like adolescent sex”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:56:11 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): The Royal Tenenbaums → The Dreamers. If the Margot-Richie romance were not subtext you would have something like The Dreamers.
“then you have like Bertelucci's the Dreamers or something, and I don't think anybody really wants that.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:56:36 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
people (performance-lineage): The Royal Tenenbaums → The French Connection. Royal talks like Popeye Doyle; Anderson loves 70s Hackman.
“So he talks like Popeye Doyle, right? Like from the French connection.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:58:08 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
people (performance-lineage): Ben Stiller → The Meyerowitz Stories. Stiller built on Chas in later dramatic work like Meyerowitz.
“in the Meyerwitz Chronicles or something, you can see traces of Chaz.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:01:02 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (casting-what-if): Gene Wilder → The Royal Tenenbaums. Rumored to have been considered for Royal.
“the rumor that uh, Gene Wilder was considered for Royal Tenenbaum.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:03:00 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (casting-what-if): Michael Caine → The Royal Tenenbaums. Caine was second choice for Royal when Hackman looked like a no; Hackman took it on hearing.
“Wes and company turned to Michael Kane.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:03:28 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
unmapped (friendship): Gene Hackman → Jack Del Rio. Hackman became a Jaguars fan through befriending Del Rio when Del Rio coached them.
“Hackman, 86, one of the most celebrated actors in cinematic history, became a Jacksonville Jaguars fan when Del Rio became coach in 2003.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:06:46 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (great-year): Owen Wilson → Zoolander. Owen Wilson's 2001: Zoolander, Tenenbaums, Behind Enemy Lines.
“Owen Wilson, in 2001, released Zoolander, Royal Tenbaums, and behind enemy lines.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:11:05 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (same-year): The Royal Tenenbaums → Zoolander. Both released in 2001 with Owen Wilson.
“released Zoolander, Royal Tenbaums, and behind enemy lines.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:11:05 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career-run): Gwyneth Paltrow → The Talented Mr. Ripley. She came off a run of Ripley and Shakespeare in Love.
“she's coming out of a really great run of talented Mr. Ripley and Shakespearean love.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:14:01 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career-decline): Gwyneth Paltrow → Shallow Hal. After Tenenbaums she did Shallow Hal and later became a celebrity rather than disappearing into parts.
“And after Tenbaum's, and she does shallow how, which is kind of a, I guess, a disaster, right?”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:14:14 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (influence): The Royal Tenenbaums → Louis Malle. French New Wave directors listed among its influences.
“some of the influences on this movie include films by Louis Maule. Um, uh, Francois Truffaux, Sholu Qadar, the French New Wave.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:15:51 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (influence): The Royal Tenenbaums → Francois Truffaut. French New Wave influence.
“Francois Truffaux, Sholu Qadar, the French New Wave.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:15:59 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
industry (studio-fate): The Royal Tenenbaums → Citizen Kane. Ambersons is Welles's follow-up to Kane and the movie taken away from him.
“Orson Wells' infamous 2nd feature, his movie after Citizen Kane, and the movie that was taken away from him.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:16:00 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (influence): The Royal Tenenbaums → The Magnificent Ambersons. Named as a huge influence; rewatching Ambersons shows how much of it is in Tenenbaums.
“it's wild how much, uh, ten bombs or how much Amberson's is in ten bombs.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:16:15 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (cast-what-if): Danny Glover → Ocean's 11. Allegedly Glover and both Wilsons turned down Ocean's 11 to make Tenenbaums.
“Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson all turned down parts in Ocean's 11 to appear in this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:16:30 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (casting-what-if): Robert Downey Jr. → The Royal Tenenbaums. Proposed modern Royal: a franchise star who needs a real movie.
“you've wasted like 15 years now on franchises, like make a real movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:20:47 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (casting-what-if): John Goodman → The Royal Tenenbaums. Proposed modern Royal for physical imposition plus drama and comedy.
“someone who could be physically imposing and like could command a stage literally, but also do drama and comedy. John Goodman.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:21:34 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career-decline): Gene Hackman → Welcome to Mooseport. Mooseport is the joke follow-up that undercuts his sendoff.
“he took the bag for welcome to Mooseport and then just vamoose to a life of writing like subpar naval thrillers”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:33:40 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)

Fun items (23)

fun, about Wes Anderson: The cast's wrist bands and Margot costumes: after the movie every dude they knew started wearing wristbands; the movie shaped dress, music and eyeliner.
“every dude I knew started wearing wristbands after this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:03:00 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Production ran on scale pay: Paltrow gave three weeks, Stiller ten days; the line producer scheduled it to look like a family together.
“Is the MVP the line producer who scheduled this to make it seem like they were a family all at the same time.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:33:14 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Most rewatchable scenes pick: opening character-intro montage over Hey Jude; Margot's play review; Royal meets grandkids at the Y; Eli on mescaline.
“The pre-credit character introductions that you mentioned is scored by, hey, Jude.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:35:25 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Most rewatchable: the Etheline scene where Royal fakes dying, shot entirely in the wide with no close-ups; Hackman and Huston make you remember reactions you never see.
“But that whole scene is shot in the wide. There are no close-ups.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:40:59 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Richie Tenenbaum: Richie's suicide scene, scored to Elliott Smith, called the most affecting thing Anderson ever shot and a break in the career.
“the Richie suicide is probably the most affecting thing that Wes Anderson's ever shot.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:42:45 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Margot background-file montage set to the Ramones: effortlessly stylish exposition, and the gleeful moment you realize the filmmaker has another gear.
“the Margot background file montage is, for me, like the most effortless, effortlessly stylish and expository and wonderful sequence”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:44:36 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Wilson brothers: Apex Mountain renamed Mount Wilson; a special sibling alchemy, with Owen the manic and Luke the mournful still one.
“this is this is Mount Wilson, as far as I'm concerned.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:48:39 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Luke Wilson: Jackass 2 deleted scene: Luke Wilson in a popped-collar golf shirt shocking himself with a 1940s phone; Andy: that's Richie Tenenbaum.
“is electrocuting himself with a 1940s telephone. And I'm just like, you are Richie Tenenbaum.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:50:37 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Danny Glover: Funniest laugh pick: Glover's all-time great fall at the archaeological site, pure physical comedy.
“He does he does an all-time great fall and then just emerges, and it's so dumb and purely funny”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:53:49 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Aged-worst category: Royal's casual racism toward Henry, read as a 1976 eye on Hackman, plus the slapstick ending and Stiller's unexplained tracksuits.
“I think it was made with a 1976 eye because that's where Royal slash Wes Anderson's love of Gene Hackman was stuck.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 0:58:03 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Ben Stiller: The whole movie exists for 'I've had a rough year, Dad' and Royal's 'I know you have, Chaz'; Andy calls it one of the most devastating line readings of his adult film life.
“the entire movie exists for the moment when Ben Stiller says, I've had a tough year, dad.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:00:03 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Gene Hackman: Hackman nearly didn't make it: Anderson told agents he was writing for him before a script, Hackman hates that, and the pay was scale for months of work; Michael Caine was next. Hackman reportedly took it on hearing that.
“he was like, I won't bury another Batman. He took he took the part.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:03:37 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Gene Hackman: Live-Googled bit: Hackman befriended Jack Del Rio and became a Jaguars fan; it appears to be Del Rio for life, not Jags for life.
“Gene Hackman showed up at Florida practice, had dinner with the Del Rios.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:06:40 · Andy Greenwald (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about Kumar Pallana: Dion Waiters Award pick: Pagoda, whose best moment is walking to the window during the intervention and saying 'there he goes'.
“Kumar just walks to the window and says, there he goes.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:08:20 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Ben Stiller: Vincent Hanna overacting award goes to Stiller, pitched at a different frequency than everyone else; Paltrow floated too.
“He's pitched at a different frequency than everyone else in this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:10:49 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Gwyneth Paltrow: Apex Mountain pick for Margot: a performance now buried under Halloween costumes and Goop, but bringing the backstory before we see it.
“Margot Tenbaum has turned into an Instagram Halloween costume.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:12:01 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: The Ambersons influence, the real Harlem house foreclosed and rented back to the production, and the Waldorf standing in for Royal's hotel.
“111 Archer is a real place. It's up in Harlem.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:15:27 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Margot Tenenbaum: Margot's smoking: an Irish cigarette brand discontinued decades ago; joke that Margot invented vaping.
“You could make the argument that Margaret Tenbaum invents vaping.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:19:46 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Eli Cash: The Cormac McCarthy-style novelist parody; the mock literary cover and Eli's 'you didn't even have to think about it' line.
“the way this movie just aims at sniper rifle on the cult of Cormac McCarthy”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:27:55 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Best quote pick: Custer died at Little Bighorn, 'What this book presupposes is...maybe he didn't?' with the riff that this movie invented the take machine of TV.
“well, everyone knows Custer died at Little Bighorn. What this book presupposes is.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:28:21 · Andy Greenwald (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Royal Tenenbaum: Royal's gravestone is the best final laugh: died tragically rescuing family from a destroyed sinking battleship.
“died tragically, rescuing his family from the wreckage of a destroyed sinking battleship”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:29:24 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about The Royal Tenenbaums: Who won the movie: Chris says Gene Hackman; Andy says Luke Wilson, still holding the stock.
“Because you still have the stock.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:32:19 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Gene Hackman: Closing riff on Hackman's retirement: a posthumous 27-episode Jack Del Rio biopic, a one-man show at Santa Fe Rec called Del Rio Grande.
“It's called Jack of all trades. It's Del Rio Grande.”
The Rewatchables · ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald · 1:33:17 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Chris Ryan (host): Loves Wes Anderson's early run, Hackman's 70s work, needle-drop movies, and rewatchable detail. Suckers for performances that are controlled and specific, and for the gleeful moment a filmmaker shifts gear. Less patient with the Tenenbaums finale's slapstick and with backlash against Wes's tweeness.
Andy Greenwald (guest): Loves Anderson as a time capsule of his early-twenties New York longing, Salinger pastiche, indie rock and TV references. Believes the movie is a near-perfect masterpiece and exists for Chas's one line. Cannot stand twee excess, finding Darjeeling problematic.

The show's recurring bits

Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.

Names the transcriber got wrong

Royal Tennenbaums/tenon bombs/world ten bumps → The Royal Tenenbaums
Angelica Houston → Angelica Huston
Michael Kane → Michael Caine
Stephen Lee Shepherd → Stephen Lee Sheppard
Kumar Polana → Kumar Pallana
Eben Moss Bacharach → Eben Moss-Bachrach
Bad solar sites / Matt Sites / Mad Zoller sites → Matt Zoller Seitz
Sholu Qadar → Claude Chabrol (guess) or Jean-Luc Godard
Louis Maule → Louis Malle
Francois Truffaux → Francois Truffaut
Chaz → Chas
Bertelucci → Bertolucci
Colin Trevoro → Colin Trevorrow
Ryan Kugler → Ryan Coogler
Chloe Zau → Chloe Zhao
Duplas brothers → Duplass brothers
Meyerwitz Chronicles → The Meyerowitz Stories
Kinikeda/Kiniketa → Cinecitta
Pat Garrett and Billy and the Kid → Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Vince Gueraldi → Vince Guaraldi
Conair → Con Air
Coco Chanelvis → Coco Chanel (verb, unclear)
Vomenos amigos → Vamonos amigos (read-aloud)