Tête brûlée

The drifting, meaningless "hang-out" nature of this quirky, engaging crime/road/comedy flick is often fun and entertaining, and often far too meandering for its own good. Ultimately, what "Bottle Rocket" is about is confusion in both path and purpose, and this is clearly reflected in the spontaneity and energy of its central characters, their actions and their interactions. The film is perhaps overly reliant on its everyday dialogue and naturalistic, if not observably detached, relationships that give the film a documentary-like tone that perhaps doesn't work as an environment for typically Anderson-esque characters to inhabit. But this is Wes Anderson before Wes Anderson, which should be considered. As a debut feature, it's pretty darn good. Another potential problem is that the characters don't necessarily undergo any explicit character development over the course of the plot, but this isn't an overly serious issue as the stance can be taken that the whole point is that they don't learn and must continue to drift; on top of this, the greatest part of this otherwise average film is the fact that the characters don't actually need development, they are engaging and interesting enough to keep us hooked for a full 80 minutes with their dreams and moral callousness.

In anything. But man was he great in this movie. I mean it was such a good performance. This movie is director Wes Anderson's (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic) feature directorial debut. It's about a group of misfit friends that decide to take up a life of crime. The group includes Anthony (Luke Wilson) just got out of the nut house and is searching for himself. Dignan (Owen Wilson, co-wrote the movie with Anderson) is the confident but bumbling ringleader who wants to be notorious but doesn't know how to execute a plan to save his life. And Bob (Robert Musgrave) the driver/look out who just wants a little recognition. The movie follows their misadventures of them robbing a bookstore, going on the lamb, Anthony falling in love with a Motel maid who instills joy back in his life, and Dignan's 'big score' that involves his former employer. The subtle humor and deliveries by the actors make the movie stand out in it's own little version comedy. The characters are losers, but lovable. You can't help but cheer them on even though what they do is illegal. I highly recommend this cool little film. It's an excellent introduction into the wonderful films of Wes Anderson.

RATING: **** out of ****

I find it really hard to explain to people why I think Wes Anderson movies are so great. There's an air about them that's so wonderful and I always feel really great after I've watched them. When I tried to explain my friend said, "a bit like the Big Lebowski?" and I think that's the closest you can come to describing Bottle Rocket and Wes Anderson movies as a whole they're that sort of brand of movie.

Bottle Rocket is the story of three guys who live in the suburbs who are trying to become criminals and not making a very good job of it. The film starts with Anthony (Luke Wilson) coming out of a voluntary rehab type place and instantly joining his friend Dignan in his very poor attempts to become some sort of criminal. They are joined by their friend Bob, because he has a car, and start by robbing a library. The film really emerges from that moment and takes you on this up beat, weird (but wonderful) adventure.

Owen and Luke Wilson are really good together, with Owen Wilson probably stealing the show as the completely useless but very endearing Dignan. Bob, played by Robert Musgrave, is also excellent in his role as the lovable loser. The soundtrack is perfect, everything comes and goes at exactly the right moment.

This was probably one of the funniest films i've seen in a while too. If you like the Big Lebowski you will love this film (my favourite is probably "Anthony wake up, Bob's stolen his car"). It also feels a lot longer than it is and whilst that's usually bad, in this case it was fantastic. At 30 minutes I looked to see how long I'd been watching it for and was amazed at how engrossed I was but also how much happens but yet the film manages to feel really slow and relaxed.

Though I've said Dignan was endearing I guess the movie as a whole is endearing, its such a lovely film, I really don't see how you couldn't like it. Some how this just misses out on being a real classic on a level with Big Lebowski, maybe its because not as many people have seen it or something, either way its definitely in my top ten or top five or something. A must see, go and watch it!

I'm fairly cool on Anderson's later projects. But this one is pretty perfect.

I watched it with another film of this type and in a week with several others. Possibly the only way to make these things work is to find a new chink, a new layer between goofiness and endearing reality to invent. I say invent rather than depict because its all about where we place ourselves; if we can place ourselves new, that's usually enough to be effective, to connect.

A large part of why this works is because it works toward an end that fails. Many movies are not about what we experience but what we remember, and the deal with this one is that we are left with someone who topples from any workable awareness. It reinvents that place where we are balanced throughout the movie. Even knowing the later films, I never wondered that this would end badly because the tone follows such a well established path, that one I've noted elsewhere. As with "Legally Blond," there's a notion that earnestness will overcome inadequacies in all other life skills.

One of the political parties in the US has appropriated this, so in a way this can be considered as a political movie.

That last look is what this is all about, just as that first look of Jack Nicholson's in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

I came to this in part because of Owen's suicide attempt: it adds context that matters.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

I was watching the Roger Ebert movie show when he was giving his best films of the decade of the 1990's with movie director Martin Scorsese. Scorsese picked Bottle Rocket as his seventh favorite movie of the decade. From that point forward, I had to search out and find this movie. Boy, am I glad that I did.

The movie Bottle Rocket is a joy. It is a caper comedy in one respect, but also an interesting look at how the bad brother can talk the good brother into doing the wrong thing. The second idea sets up some great comedy bits. Owen Wilson as the bad brother, Dignan, is absolutely hilarious. From this point forward, I will always be interested in seeing him in a movie. His brother Luke Wilson as the good, yet naive brother, is also very charming. James Caan shows up in the second half of the movie and is fantastic. The writer/director, Wes Anderson (Rushmore), does a great job of telling an off-beat story and gives his characters great lines to say.

All in all, Bottle Rocket was a pleasant surprise that I had never heard of. Thank you Martin Scorsese.