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

Margot and Eli walk through their deteriorated neighborhood; Eli tells her Richie wrote that he loves her.

Scene 53 of 143 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Eli
Margot
Voice

Find another scene in The Royal Tenenbaums

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 43 min into a 1:59 film

The story so farBefore scene 53

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.
Just before
Scene 50
Royal follows Chas upstairs and asks to meet Ari and Uzi, but Chas refuses and walks away.
Scene 51
Royal says goodnight to Margot and Richie, visibly emotional as Richie hugs him.
Scene 52
Royal and Pagoda plan further instructions; Royal greets Etheline and Henry as they return from a play.
Scene 53
This scene

53EXT. STREET. DAY.

Margot and Eli walk together down a street with trash everywhere and abandoned cars and broken windows.

ELI

Right there is where I used to go get

jacked off.

Margot nods. She seems distracted.

ELI (CONT’D)

You don’t give a shit.

MARGOT

I’m listening.

(points to a deli)

Right there is where you used to go get

jacked off.

ELI

That’s right.

They walk in silence for a minute.

ELI (CONT’D)

How’s Richie?

MARGOT

(pause)

I don’t know. I can’t tell.

ELI

Yeah. Me, either. He wrote me a

letter. He says he’s in love with you.

MARGOT

(frowns)

What are you talking about?

ELI

(shrugs)

That’s what he said. I don’t know how

we’re supposed to take it. Hang on.

They stop in front of a partially demolished building. Eli presses the buzzer to one of the apartments. A voice comes on the call box:

VOICE

Hello?

ELI

Sugar, it’s Eli.

VOICE

Hey, baby.

The door buzzes open. Margot says blankly:

MARGOT

What are we doing, Eli?

CONTINUED: (2)

ELI

I just got to pick something up. Don’t

repeat that, by the way. About Richie.

It was told in confidence.

Eli goes inside. Margot stands alone on the street. She looks up at the destroyed building.