“I Always Wanted to Be a Tenenbaum”: Class Mobility as Neoliberal Fantasy in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums

Abstract

when Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson) and his father Royal (Gene Hackman) confront Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) about Eli’s drug problem in Wes Anderson’s 2001 film, The Royal Tenenbaums , Eli admits, “I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum.” His statement comes as no surprise: Eli is depicted as an outsider hoping to be accepted into the family throughout the film. He is Richie’s childhood best friend, described by the narrator as “a regular fixture” at the Tenenbaum house. He continues to send Etheline Tenenbaum (Angelica Huston), the matriarch of the family, his grades, press clippings, and reviews. After Richie disappears, Eli begins an affair with Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow), Royal’s adopted daughter. Margot admits the affair was sparked by their shared affection for Richie, explaining that she and Eli “mostly just talked about” Richie. What is surprising about the scene, then, is not Eli’s admitted desire “to be a Tenenbaum.” Instead, it is that Royal Tenenbaum—Etheline’s husband and Richie’s father—responds, “Me, too.”

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