Expected this to be a lot funnier than it actually was, but it was still rather good. Actually, the film isn't really an out and out comedy, though it's too (deliberately) absurd to properly be called a drama; The Royal Tenenbaums works quite well as some kind of quirky admixture of the two (surely not 'comma', so perhaps 'dramedy', which is itself rather too close to 'dromedary' for me to take it seriously...). Royal's contradictory attitude towards his family seemed an apt sort of metaphor for the attitude of the film as a whole (deadpan/satirical/wavering/ultimately fond) towards its subject(s); in its portrayal of family dysfunctionality, it reminded me a bit of The Corrections (surely it won't be too long before a film version of that one appears?), though the vivid colours and outfits were distinctly cinematic. Quality cast, but Gwyneth stole the show as the most Gorey-esque character I've ever seen on screen (I'm always surprised to be reminded that she can actually act, and yet I don't think I've ever seen her put in a bad performance).
It took me a while to get into this, but it really grew on me as it went on, and I found myself smiling as the closing credits rolled.
