If it sounds bittersweet, it is, but like the best family albums, Tenenbaums is split wide with open-heartedness, and equally generous with its triumphs and failures.

This comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family of eccentric geniuses is exactly the kind of movie America could use. It's funny, poignant, laced with irresistibly flawed characters and focuses on the power of love in a family.

The film manages to be both sarcastic and sentimental. As odd as the Tenenbaums are, the family remains bound by love.

When does dealing with family dysfunction not feel like a familiar slog? When it’s in the hands of filmmaker Wes Anderson and his unique blend of quirkiness, seldom better exemplified than in The Royal Tenenbaums