As mentioned in the reading response instructions, The Royal Tenenbaums is a chaotic

mosaic of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, and marriage and death. Despite the good
moments, I believe it is safe to say all the main characters in The Royal Tenenbaums are
heartbroken or were heartbroken at one point. In this reading response, I will discuss Richie’s
perplexing heartbreak tale, which I believe is similar to that of Amy Whinehouse. Although
Richie wasn’t a musician and had a happy ending unlike Amy, I believe the heartbreak and
depression he experienced resembles Amy’s turbulent battle with mental health and
relationships.
Like his siblings (blood related or not), Richie Tenenbaum found great success at a young
age. Rather than crunching numbers or directing plays, Richie spent his early years dominating
tennis courts and rising to athletic fame. Royal was very proud of Richie’s success (albeit due to
Royal’s betting wins), making Richie somewhat of a favorite child. Despite this success, Richie
struggled with the emotional turmoil of falling in love with his adopted sister, Margot. During his
childhood years, Richie expressed this love in his paintings of Margot that he hung throughout
the house. However, as he grew older and the Tenenbaum children began going their separate
ways, Richie was torn. He knew that it would be socially unacceptable to publicly express
feelings of desire for what most people considered to be his real sister, but he couldn’t stand the
thought of losing Margot. This emotional tear eventually rips Richie apart when Margot marries
Raleigh, as Richie’s hopes for a life with her come to an end. Since Margot was a famed
playwright, word of the marriage quickly spread throughout news outlets, which significantly
worsened Richie’s heartbreak. Even during his tennis matches, the commentators brought up his
sister’s marriage. This emotional distress led to the downfall of Richie’s tennis career during
what should have been the peak of his performance. Richie’s fans would always remember his
short lived but successful career, leaving him unable to escape the constant reminder of why it
ended.
When Richie returned home upon the news of his father’s supposed cancer diagnosis, his
mental state only worsened. Not only was his father “dying,” but Richie was living in the same
house as Margot for the first time in many years. Richie seemed to be the only child genuinely
concerned for Royal’s health, but he couldn’t devote his full attention to his father due to his
ongoing affection for his sister. As Richie and Royal spent more time together, the two grew
closer and forgave each other for their mistakes. It seemed as if Richie’s mental health was
improving due to his rekindled relationship with his father, but he was frequently reminded that
Royal only had a few weeks left to live. Richie couldn’t let himself get too close with his father,
fearing that it would only hurt him more once Royal passed away. However, the biggest
heartbreak Richie faced during this time was learning of Margot’s “relationship” with his friend
Eli Cash. Richie once felt close enough with Eli to confide in him his feelings of affection for his
sister, but now he couldn’t stand the thought of Eli, nor the thought of living another day. All the
years of depression Richie spent heartbroken over Margot, his failed tennis career, his father not
being present, and his disconnect with his siblings came to a head the day Richie and Raleigh
viewed the pictures of Margot and her lovers. I believe Richie shaved that day not to go out and
impress Margot enough to abandon any feelings for Eli, but instead to look good for her one last
time as he thought he would be laid in a casket.
As I mentioned, I believe Richie’s story is similar to that of Amy Whinehouse. Despite
their differences in professions and how their stories ended, both Richie and Amy had their
careers cut short due to mental health battles. In both cases, these battles were at least partially
caused by relationship issues. Although Richie didn’t turn to drugs to cope with his heartbreak,
his mental health eventually led to his attempted suicide. Both of these individuals were always
subjected to the attention of the public, so neither could ever fully express their emotional
distress. Additionally, neither could truly rely on their parents to support them in times of
heartbreak, which made things worse.
While I assume not many people can relate to being secretly in love with their adopted
sister their entire life, Richie Tenenbaum’s story of loving someone out of reach resonates with
many. He grew up with a seemingly perfect life, but couldn’t maintain his success because of his
mental health. However, he never stopped loving Margot, and eventually he became the guy that
gets the girl at the end of the book. While The Royal Tenenbaums might not be considered
romantic cinema, I believe many viewers find Richie and Margot’s eventual secret relationship to
be a heart warming conclusion to the Tenenbaum’s story.