The Royal Tenenbaums is a film ruled by bold, unique, instantly recognizable characters. I think that one of the most interesting characters is family friend Eli Cash. At first he seems like nothing more than Richie's slightly eccentric best friend who dresses like a cowboy for some unknown reason. However, as the film progresses, he becomes increasingly odd. More specifically, every time we see him, he is doing something more bizarre. It is almost as if he has not started doing drugs until partway through the film. For example, when we first see him as an adult, the subject matter of his novel is a bit odd, but certainly nothing shocking. Then however, we see Margot open her closet and find Eli inside, half undressed. The fact that Eli is having an affair with her plays into this as well. This is particularly evident in the scene where Eli climbs out the window and raises his hand to Royal in some odd kind of salute, and the scene where Eli breaks up with Margot and seems blissfully unaware of what is going on. In the climax of the film, Eli comes screeching down Archer avenue in full warpaint, and nearly runs over Ari and Uzi. This is the final straw, and he eventually reverts back to mere eccentricity by the epilogue. Do you think Anderson intended these scenes to be a progression of Eli's bizarre behavior?
I think so, but not for the purpose of furthering the plot. As the film goes on, most of the plot gets more and more serious, so comedic relief is needed to keep this film in the "comedy" category. Eli's consistently increasing crazy behavior fills that need perfectly.
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