The film currently holds a 80% "Fresh" rating at the website Rotten Tomatoes, including a 75% "Fresh" rating among the top critics.

The narration and the way the film follows each family member is similar to Fox's critically acclaimed television sitcom Arrested Development. Jason Bateman, one of the show's stars, described the show as "The Royal Tenenbaums shot like COPS." Arrested Development creator and head writer Mitchell Hurwitz said that when he saw The Royal Tenenbaums, he already had the idea for Arrested Development in mind and thought, "Well, I guess I won't be doing that," but subsequently changed his mind.