A Royal crush..

(Photo: Damour)

Today I watched The Royal Tenenbaums and I fell in love too many times to count. I fell in love with the bright yet faded colors of the film. I fell in love with the quirky narration (done by Alec Baldwin!). I fell in love with the kickass mixed bag of a soundtrack (I'm talking Charlie Brown's "Christmas Time is Here" next to the Rolling Stones). I fell in love with the whole dys-fun-ctional family vibe. But most of all, I fell in love with Richie Tenenbaum.

Richie, played by a weirdly adorable yet hairy Luke Wilson, is an ex-tennis player who has a serious penchant for rocking a headband (the man was way ahead of you poser hipster gals), a khaki blazer and slacks, a polo, a killer shaggy hairdo, an out-of-control beard and of course, an unnecessary pair of tinted spectacles (both inside and outside). In a way, he looks like a cave man who raided a vintage store. And maybe even sometimes, a hobo. But somehow, it works. At least it does on me.

But even though I fell pray to his carefully disheveled style, not everyone else seems to share my feelings. Cue the unrequited - yet still ongoing - love Richie has for his adopted sister, Margot (a wicked Gwyneth Paltrow) in the movie. It's one of those it's-kind-of-weird-but-it's-kind-of-perfect-in-every-way (think Cher and her ex-stepbro, Josh, in Clueless) movie romances that I can't help but root for. Especially when you've got such a puppy-dog hopeless kind of guy at the helm of the sorta misguided devotion.

Speaking of not-so-wise choices, while I was still on my Tenenbaums high today, I decided to give another Wes Anderson flick a go: Rushmore. I wanted to love it so much, but really, it didn't quite grab me in the way Tenenbaums did. I never really liked Max Fisher enough I guess. He kind of had a Holden Caulfield way about him, and to be honest, I'm not a Catcher in the Rye fanatic (but somehow I forgave the fact that the Tenenbaums seemed very similar to the Glass fam in Franny and Zooey, which I was even less into). I will say, however, the music was quite awesome. Any movie that ends with "Ooh La La" by The Faces is okay avec moi.

But I digress. What I'm trying to say is, Richie Tenenbaum is my new Nick Andopolis for the moment. I would have a secret love affair in a indoor tent with him any day. And maybe even OD on black eye liner. After all, a friend once told me I had a Gwyneth Paltrow look about me. But then again, I think they might have been high as a kite at the time. Whatever, I'll take it.

Mood Music: "Let it Loose" by The Rolling Stones