Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Etheline (Anjelica Huston), had three brilliant kids before separating: Chas (Ben Stiller) had a preternatural instinct for real estate, Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) was an award-winning playwright by ninth grade, and Richie (Luke Wilson) was a junior champion tennis player. But despite these promising beginnings, the family fell apart after decades of lies, betrayals, and failures. What happens when Royal, whom the kids haven't spoken to in years, brings the family back together suddenly and announces that he's got only six weeks to live? Well, old wounds don't heal so quickly.