The Royal Tenenbaums · written by Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson · 2001

Richie shaves, then cuts his wrists in the bathroom; Dudley finds him and raises the alarm.

Scene 101 of 143 · ≈ 1 min on screen

Plot Point II
Save the Cat: All Is Lost
Richie
Margot
Dudley

Find another scene in The Royal Tenenbaums

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:27 into a 1:59 film

The story so farBefore scene 101

After losing his hotel room, Royal claims he has only weeks to live so he can move back in with his estranged family; as the truth unravels, he must find a way to be useful and earn a place in their lives.

Scenes 1–39
Royal is absent from the children’s adult lives, and their family remains shaped by his betrayals and abandonment.
Scenes 40–47
Royal wants a path back to Etheline and the children, and claims impending death will give him one.
Scenes 48–50
He returns to the house and openly asks his children for a chance to make things right.
Scenes 51–90
Royal tries to reconnect through schemes, misjudgments and genuine care, learning that affection alone cannot erase old injuries.
Scenes 91–92
Royal admits to Etheline that he hoped to win her back and remove Henry, revealing the motive behind his return.
Just before
Scene 98
Raleigh, Richie and Dudley review the detective’s report on Margot’s past; Raleigh focuses on her smoking.
Scene 99
Royal negotiates with the hotel manager about the return of his possessions, seeking a favorable decision.
Scene 100
Raleigh lies withdrawn in his laboratory while Dudley tries to draw him into games and experiments.
Scene 101
This scene

101INT. BATHROOM. DAY.

Hot water runs full blast in the shower and the sink. Richie stands in front of the mirror. He holds a pair of scissors in his hand. He has clipped off his beard.

He opens the medicine cabinet and takes out a can of shaving cream and a straight razor. He covers his face with the shaving cream. He picks up the razor. He looks back in the mirror. He pushes his hand back through his hair, takes a deep breath, and says quietly:

RICHIE

I’m going to kill myself tomorrow.

Silence. Richie slices the razor deeply, four times, along his left forearm. Blood runs into the sink. He switches hands with the razor and slashes his other wrist. He sits down on the floor.

CUT TO:

The bathroom door slamming open. Dudley bursts into the room. He looks horrified. The floor is flooded with water and blood. Richie is slumped in the corner with shaving cream all over his face.

Dudley screams hysterically.

MONTAGE:

Three paramedics race down a corridor pushing Richie on a gurney. Raleigh and Dudley run beside him. They are covered with blood.

Etheline hangs up the telephone and runs into the hallway. She throws open the closet door and grabs her coat.

Chas, Ari and Uzi hold on as Anwar weaves the BMW in and out of traffic. Buckley has his head out the window.

Margot bursts through the doors of the emergency room. She looks around frantically. She sees Dudley. She sees blood on him. She rushes over and grabs his arms.

MARGOT

Where is he, Dudley?

DUDLEY

(pause)

Who?