Bottle Rocket (1996)

Synopsis: The debut feature film for director Wes Anderson and actors Luke and Owen Wilson, BOTTLE ROCKET is a kind-hearted yet quirky tale about three friends who fashion themselves into modern-day robbers.... The debut feature film for director Wes Anderson and actors Luke and Owen Wilson, BOTTLE ROCKET is a kind-hearted yet quirky tale about three friends who fashion themselves into modern-day robbers. After leaving his voluntary confinement in a mental home, Anthony (Luke Wilson) joins his friends Dignan (the film's co-writer, Owen Wilson) and Bob (Robert Musgrave) in a bookstore heist. In need of direction, more so than money, the three guys prove to be polite, but rather inept, criminals. Nevertheless the job is a success, and the trio head out to a remote hotel, planning to lay low until they can return to join a gang of supposed professional criminals lead by the infamous Mr. Henry (James Caan). Based on the 1994 black-and-white short, the expanded film is part buddy picture, crime caper, and slacker comedy. First-time director Wes Anderson displays a sure hand, creating carefully composed scenes full of rich detail (shot on 27mm film, to ensure greater depth of field), schematic use of color, and amusing, irreverent music (including a score by Mark Mothersbaugh, founding member of the punk band Devo). Full of sure-footed performances, BOTTLE ROCKET is a charming meditation on friendship, love, and innocence, conveyed with great humor and refreshing goodwill. [More]

Starring: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave, James Caan

Starring: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave, James Caan, Andrew Wilson, Lumi Cavazos, Jim Ponds

Director: Wes Anderson

Director: Wes Anderson
Screenwriter: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
Producer: Polly Platt, Cynthia Hargrave
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh

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