Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Etheline had three children and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary --- all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father's fault. "The Royal Tenenbaums" is the story of the family's sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.
Daniel Powell’s plan to reconnect with his siblings hits a snag when he discovers they all want to kill him for his inheritance. As the brothers and sisters are forced to spend the weekend together at the family beach house on the Cayman Islands, one thing becomes painfully clear: Daniel’s going to find out what family means, even if it kills him.
A hedonistic bachelor - he is his rich family's black sheep - falls for a suicidal mental patient.
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
Gail and Tom Hartman are struggling to stay together and decide to take a white-water rafting holiday adventure in Montana for their son Roarke's 10th birthday, only to meet up with a pair of mysterious men whose desperation grows, turning their vacation into a nightmare.
When their regal matriarch falls ill, the troubled Vuillard family come together for a hesitant Christmastime reunion. Among them is rebellious ne'er-do-well Henri and the uptight Elizabeth. Together under the same roof for the first time in many years, their intricate, long denied resentments and yearnings emerge again.
Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.
Three American brothers who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other -- to become brothers again like they used to be. Their "spiritual quest", however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).
Grace, Daniel and Eamon, their hyperactive son, spoiled by his mother, envied by his father, go on vacation to an Irish coastal town for a few days, without money but plenty of hidden feelings inside them that they are unable to express.
A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.
A troubled Southern man talks to his suicidal sister's psychiatrist about their family history and falls in love with her (and New York City) in the process.
A New York girl sets her father up with a beautiful woman in a shaky marriage while her half sister gets engaged.
Anna and Philip, separated for a year, arrive at a remote island to sort out their marriage and the future of their two children. Anna, firm in her logical decision to divorce, faces Philip, who hasn't thought things through and defensively tries to show Anna that there is still hope to reconcile. Heated arguments and contradictions surface deep emotions. Their old affection rekindles, and the roles are switched, leading Anna to reconsider, but Philip, realizing why they drifted apart or unwilling to put in the work, declares the relationship should end.
Paula Tobias, a Holocaust survivor who has suffered the ultimate personal tragedy of losing her spouse and children during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Now re-married and living in America during the late 1960's with husband David, they build a new life together with sons Ben and Jake. One evening, Paula receives a phone call which assures her that her son, Alec, is actually alive and in New York. This brings up painful memories from the past for everyone involved, including Ben and Jake, who force their father to talk about the Holocaust. Paula rushes to New York only to find that it was a mistake - Alec was never found. She falls into a dramatic depression, as the family confronts their fears and tries to stay together.
Beverly Hills couple Barbara and Dave Whiteman find their lives altered by the arrival of a vagrant who tries to drown himself in their swimming pool.
Billy is a teenager and enthusiastic photo hobbyist who takes pictures of his mother carrying on with another man, but is too naive to realize his mother is engaging in more than innocent horseplay. When he innocently shows his pictures to Daddy, he unwittingly starts a melee that ends in Daddy's accidental death and Mommy's mental collapse and confinement in a hospital. Enter Aunt Janet, Daddy's sister, to take care of Billy. Supposedly a frigid woman who "can't stand men", Aunt Janet is nevertheless loving and affectionate with young Billy, and when she sees the fatal snapshots, she even takes their relationship to the next level. But can their happy life together survive the return from hospital of a still-disturbed Mommy?
David, a struggling comedy writer fresh off from breaking up with his boyfriend, moves from New York City to Sacramento to help his sick mother. Living with his conservative father and much-younger sisters for the first time in ten years, he feels like a stranger in his childhood home. As his mother’s health declines, David frantically tries to extract meaning from this horrible experience and convince everyone (including himself) that he's "doing okay.”
Johanie, the single mother of a dysfunctional family, takes a dim view of the arrival of Ian and his dog in the neighborhood. Like a trench dividing the two camps, the back alley becomes the witness of a rivalry where prejudice, fascination and frustration mingle slyly with the sound of barking.
On the way to meet with an independent artist in the South, newlywed art dealer Madeleine is convinced by her husband, George, that they should stop to meet his family in North Carolina. Madeleine's affluent lifestyle clashes with the family, but she befriends George's wide-eyed and pregnant sister-in-law, Ashley, who is nearing her due date. Through the family, Madeleine gains greater insight into George's character.