Bottle Rocket

I have purchased and viewed all of Wes Anderson's films in the past month or so and I have got to say that I am thoroughly impressed. Rushmore, probably his most popular and acclaimed film, is an interesting story focusing on one character (very uncharacteristic of Anderson), Max Fischer. The Royal Tenenbaums, in my opinion, is TECHNICALLY his best achievement to date. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited were both solid entries that I thought were great despite a lack of a certain something (still trying to figure it out). Fantastic Mr. Fox was an extremely well done stop-motion film adapting a story from Roald Dahl. My FAVORITE however is his debut film, Bottle Rocket.I have now seen Bottle Rocket three times (in the past like 2 months) and on the third viewing, I decided to take some notes. What resulted was a 13-page in depth analysis of the themes and threads pumping through the heart of the film. My favorite aspect of Bottle Rocket is the character development. The character, Dignan, I believe is the most completely realized character of any of Wes' films and possibly the most tragic. Loneliness is the most prominent theme in the film, Dignan being the vehicle for the theme. Through my intense note taking, I was able to find some things that some people may not have picked up on.Observations: After *successfully* breaking Anthony out of a voluntary hospital, Dignan and Anthony take a bus back home. On the bus, as soon as Anthony begins to talk about his emotional disturbances, Dignan switches the subject because he is uncomfortable talking about emotional problems."You know there's nothing to steal from my mom and CRAIG." - Dignan. The fact that Dignan uses a first name probably signifies that Craig is the step-father i.e. daddy issues.Throughout the film, Dignan tries to cultivate a relationship with his former employee Abe Henry, whom he looks up to as a father figure.Dignan recruits Anthony and Bob into his "team", brother figures. The film depicts Anthony's sibling and Bob's sibling, but never shows or mentions Dignan having siblings. Only child = loneliness.Dignan is very much a child trapped in the body of a control freak/army commander type guy. He throws tantrums but at the same time has the urge to be in control of every situation at all times. Anthony and Bob, unfortunately for Dignan, have a much different attitude towards their heists, theirs being more laid back and only semi-committed. Wes even shows us this through the characters haircuts. Dignan has a short hair cut and is even at one point mistaken as being in the army because of it. Anthony and Bob both have long hair that further shows their more laid back attitude. While Dignan plans out their heists to the last detail, Anthony is usually drawing while Bob is wrapped up in his brother.Also a very minute detail I picked up on was the number of the motel room they stayed in. The room number is 212. This possibly suggests that the two '2s' are Anthony (who has Inez) and Bob (who has Futureman) and the lone '1' in the middle is Dignan. Also the adress of the Lawn Wranglers headquarters is 2215. Again, the '2s' are Anthony and Bob, the '5' is the Lawn Wranglers crew, and the lone '1' is again, Dignan."He thought he had a team, turns out to be a man alone. Now, that's tough now. Real tough." - Mr. Henry speaking of Dignan. This totally captures Dignan up to that point in the movie and really foreshadows what happens during the final heist where he is let down by his entire crew and in turn is the only one who is punished for the 'attempted' crime.The ending is very bittersweet. On one hand, Dignan is in jail but on the other, it seems like he is growing up. He makes belt buckles while in prison and tells Anthony and Bob that they could give them to Mr. Henry (who totally used Dignan to get closer to Bob and ultimately robs his house) and Apple Jack (who was caught at the scene but the charges were dropped because of his medical condition). He also jokes to Bob and Anthony about an escape plan which shows that he has accepted his fate. This is truly a coming of age story.I could continue to go on about the analysis (and trust me, I COULD), but I want to touch on other areas of the film. First of all, the acting is absolutely spectacular. Owen Wilson's portrayal as Dignan is one of the most 'real' performances I have ever seen. It definitely helps that he co-wrote it with Anderson. Luke Wilson was also great as Anthony. There is one scene that really shows his talent. It is when he and Dignan are stuck on the side of the road after their car breaks down and Dignan refers to Inez as the "housekeeper". The look in Luke's eyes after he says that is actually kind of chilling. That takes skill. Robert Musgrave was definitely well suited for Bob and his performance is definitely on par with Owen and Luke but he was just given less material to work with than them. James Caan gives a very unique performance as Abe Henry. It was an odd but effective choice. AND YOU CAN'T FORGET KUMAR! Nothing makes me laugh more than when Dignan walks in on Kumar sitting on a couch while he should be cracking a safe.Style wise, this is probably Wes Anderson's least "Wes Anderson" film. After Bottle Rocket, he really defined his style and stuck with it for the rest of his career. The cinematography by Robert Yeoman is simply superb and he manages to craft some stunningly beautiful shots. The music by Mark Mothersbaugh is indeed effective while the choice of already recorded music by Anderson is great. I found that "Seven and Seven is" by Love and "2000 Man" by The Rolling Stones define the scenes that they are played in and Anderson continued to burn scenes into our memories through his use of music in the rest of his films.Making a long story short (too late), Bottle Rocket is in my top 10 films of all time. All the characters are just so rich and fleshed out that I find it irresistible to come back and continue to watch and enjoy there little quirks and mannerisms. I just find it amazing that all of the newcomers (Wes, Owen, Luke, and Bob Musgrave) met each other (obviously Owen and Luke didn't meet up, haha), created this masterwork, and now are all famous and successful (not so much Bob). This film gets my absolute highest recommendation if you have yet to see it. I urge you to watch it multiple times though so you can really catch the genius and depth of the characters. Also, check out Wes Anderson's other movies, especially The Royal Tenenbaums, which also delves deep into it's characters and is considered by many to be a near masterpiece.On a final note, I also CANNOT WAIT for Moonrise Kingdom to come to my town. When I found out that it was initially only being released in New York and Los Angeles, I almost lost it. I have since cooled down and decided to appreciate the films I already have by him to their fullest before worrying about Moonrise Kingdom.Thank you for your time.

BOTTLE ROCKET is an exceptionally fresh and thoroughly fun movie. I found myself smiling throughout, and not even sure why. I can't even say what kind of movie it is. For BOTTLE ROCKET defies any attempt at classification, any assault on its originality and creativity by placing it neatly in a box. It is neither a comedy nor a drama; not a love story nor a crime flick. It blends all of these genres--along with a pinch of classic Americana--into a very unique, delightful movie. Yet it is also a deliciously messy enigma: a loosely strung-together melange of brillance and childishness, high and pop art, profundity and absurdity. By the film's conclusion, I knew I had seen something special, a truly inspired and deeply personal work.BOTTLE ROCKET's power lies in its characters. They are so quirky, so unique, that they seem unmistakably real, and therefore patently likeable. They are simple people who lead quietly extraordinary and beautiful lives, people who believe in following one's dreams, chasing after true love, being individuals--and all with childlike wonder, innocence, and joie de vivre. In short, they are people of unique and genuine character. They also happen to be hysterically funny. BOTTLE ROCKET, while I would not categorically call it a comedy, is easily one of the funniest movies of the nineties. The brothers Owen and Luke Wilson give laudable (although not flawless) performances as the two principals, and they are supported admirably by some great character actors.BOTTLE ROCKET is also a beatiful picture. The photograhpy is excellent--stylish in an understated way--and this adds an element of class to an already quality piece. Almost every shot would make an excellent photograph, full of rich and subtle detail, and interesting interplay of colors, textures, and distances. BOTTLE ROCKET does not have lavish sets, nor does it take place in exotic locales. Anderson instead transforms what would otherwise be lacklustre settings like rural Texas and a cheap motel into places of almost otherworldly beauty. The lighting has a lot to do with this effect, giving the movie a very clean, bright feel--think of a J.Crew ad, only set in the rural Midwest instead of a Cape Cod beach house. The movie gives the warm, uplifting feeling of a young, free, and beautiful America, a feeling one gets at certain times reading Kerouac. The music is superb to boot, as in all Anderson's flicks, and greatly enhances the visual experience.Yet BOTTLE ROCKET falls short in its bid for perfection. For one thing, the love story, while sometimes touching, is very artifical and abstract. At times I really wanted Inez and Anthony to get together, but I couldn't help but feel manipulated by the forced nature of their love. Anthony instantly falls in love with the motel housekeeper, who doesn't speak a word of English because she's from Paraguay. The love-at-first-sight gimmick only works when the characters develop a fulfilling emotional bond over time, but this doesn't happen in BOTTLE ROCKET. Also, I think Anderson indulges in the 1960's motif a bit much. From the music to the sets to the hairstyles, everything reeks of the sixties--hell, even all the cars are vintage. There are points in the film where one could easily forget it was made in '96. The ending even reminded me of COOL HAND LUKE. But BOTTLE ROCKET, I've learned, is a very subjective experience and therein lies its genius, at least in part. If you have a well-developed eye, you'll probably like this film, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The movie's much like a bottle rocket, in fact: it can spark, sizzle, and delight, but in the end, you're not sure whether it could have had more substance. Final note: the DVD is bare-bones. Can't we get at least a commentary, people?

Bottle Rocket is the breakout film for writer/ director Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson, (who also co-wrote it) and his brother Luke.Anderson and Wilson's script is absolutely fantastic. It was fleshed out from a short sketch in black and white years earlier, and the amount of love and care that has gone into it over the years is plain to see.Anderson's direction shows the promise he would later fulfill, despite this film lacking the sort of budget which he would use to such great effect later, particularly in the Life Aquatic. Anderson still manages to pack this film with loads of subtle details, however, for example Wilson's notebook with his 75 year plan for their life of crime. He flicks through it so fast that its impossible to read in real time, but i would actually recommend pausing it on each page as it is absolutely hilarious!And the acting, mainly by the Wilson brothers, is very warm and affecting. You can't help but be taken by them and their next crazy scheme. James Caan is also enjoyable in his extended cameo towards the end.This is a side-splittingly funny film, with some of my favourite quotes in any film ever (Owen Wilson describing his latest scheme - "Here are just a few of the key ingredients - dynamite, pole vaulting, laughing gas, choppers, can you see how incredible this is gonna be...hang gliding... Come on!")Enough said, Just watch It!

Good acting but absolutely no direction , says it all really. Every 10 minutes or so, or chapter there is a feeling that here we go the plotline is moving, forawrd, sadly it never comes. Really, a pointless film that could have been a lot better. A proper waste of time. It misses a lot more that is hits, about 10 to 0 per ten minutes.

I bought this because we have absolutely loved all of Wes Anderson's films and so I'd been looking to see what else he'd done. It's not quite the masterpiece of some of the later films, but still really enjoyable to watch. You can see the contributors are just starting out and some of the ideas they're playing around with in this film turn up in other ones later. Some very funny moments, a mad script and an enjoyable evening well spent!

This film does not get laboured with story or character, just breezes along instead. It's not so much of a moving painting as other Wes Anderson films (neither a good or a bad thing), and feels a bit looser. It doesn't blow you away, it doesn't make you cry with laughter but it is slightly different and slightly interesting. Character based stuff that happens in a funny way for no reason in a good way.

Very funny caper movie. Script is classic Wes Anderson, just not quite the scale we're used to, as you would expect with this being his 1st film.Fans of his other works will find plenty to enjoy in this film. Owen Wilson dominates the show, but the random ensemble for his robbery crew are fantastic. Also nice to see Jimmy Caan cameo in this type of film.Well worth a fiver.