The rest of the cast watched, incredulously, as Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman acted out scenes from Behind Enemy Lines.

The Royal Tenenbaums is about a family. There’s a father and a mother, three grown children, two grandchildren. And the mother’s new suitor. And his son. And a neighbor. And the spouse of one of the children. And a kid he’s treating for a neurological disorder. And a faithful servant. You don’t have to actually be related to be a family.

The father, Royal Tenenbaum, screwed up his relationship with his family years ago, through his selfishness and casual cruelty. The mother, Etheline, raised the children more or less on her own. The children all excelled at an early age: Chas made a fortune before he was out of high school. Richie was a championship tennis player, Margot a prize-winning playwright in the ninth grade.

Through twists of fate that would seem improbable if we didn’t come to realize how desperate they all are, the Tenenbaums all end up living under the same roof again. Royal claims to be dying and says he wants to reconcile with his family before he does, but in fact he’s just broke. The children are rightly suspicious and resist his attempts to befriend them. Besides, they’ve all got their own problems. Chas, traumatized by the death of his wife, is busy trying to protect his two sons from any possible threat to their safety. Margot is chronically depressed and so secretive that, though she’s smoked since the age of twelve, nobody in the family knows it. And Richie, well, he’s in love with Margot.

Wasn't this his costume from Shanghai Noon?

The Royal Tenenbaums is mostly a comedy, but one of the most admirable things about it is its refusal to be confined to that genre. It’s a comedy about deeply troubled people, and it is not at all shy about showing us their troubles. Their problems aren’t funny, but the way they deal with them — or refuse to deal with them — very often are. There’s a huge range of emotions in this film: laugh-out-loud moments, poignant moments, heartbreaking moments.

The script, by director Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore) and actor Owen Wilson (who plays the neighbor, Eli) keeps the viewer slightly off balance. A character’s actions might seem funny until you realize the pain that causes them. Or a situation may appall you until someone’s offhand comment makes you laugh. The characters and situations are exaggerated, but the feelings behind them are genuine.

Anderson’s direction is precise and focused. Every shot is meticulously framed, every set decoration tells a story. The costumes, the hairstyles, Margot’s ridiculous eye makeup, all speak volumes. Characters are carefully arranged in family tableaux, shot in deep focus so we can see every expression. Anderson is a rapidly maturing filmmaker with a strong vision; nothing about this movie seems accidental.

Gene Hackman insisted on re-enacting the car chase scene from The French Connection.

There’s a strong, ensemble cast at work here: Angelica Huston, Danny Glover, Luke Wilson, Bill Murray (sadly underused, I’m afraid). Special mention for three: Ben Stiller’s characteristic sarcasm and barely controlled rage are perfect for Chas, a man almost at his breaking point. Gene Hackman is brilliantly funny as Royal, walking the line between manipulative schemer and roguish anti-hero. And Gwyneth Paltrow shines as Margot, packing more shades of sadness into one expression — literally, one expression through the entire movie — than most actresses could even dream of.

The Royal Tenenbaums has few huge belly laughs, but it’s never boring. It makes you appreciate the people in your life, forgive them their trespasses, forgive even your own. It’s like a family: sometimes it makes you laugh and sometimes it makes you cry.

Gorilla Pants rating: 3.5 out of 4 bananas