Tête brûlée

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!

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 the off-the-wall comedy "Bottle Rocket", Owen Wilson makes a scintillating debut as the creative force behind this tale of one man's struggle to realize his dream of becoming a crook in spite of his many shortcomings: sensitivity, compassion, empathy, and just plain niceness. Luke Wilson plays straight man to real life brother Owen in this camp, light-hearted, and easy to watch little film about the "gang who couldn't think straight". A fun watch for just about anyone into droll humorous subtleties.

In all honesty, the plot is awfully muddled I couldn't even figure out what it is about, and it keeps going off at a tangent frequently with all its twists and turns until it becomes almost entirely obfuscated by the end. But seeing whip pans, dolly-tracking shots, overheads of perfectly placed props and profile shots among others that would later become Wes Anderson's visual trademarks is oddly satisfying and special in its own way. Sure they seem half-ripe and lacking in the tantalizing aesthetic quality that define the look of Anderson's films, but they are all there and as effectively and perfectly employed as in the auteur's most acclaimed efforts. And the same can be said about the hodgepodge of evocative music choices. Madcap and slapstick moments are present as well. What truly piqued my attention, and gripped me throughout the hour-and-half runtime, are the warmth of friendship between the lead duo (played by Luke and Owen Wilson) and spirit of camaraderie between the three pals that, alongside the plotline revolving around Anthony's romance with a hotel chambermaid, give the movie a feel that's at once tender, free-wheeling and delightfully charming tending to make one think of John Hughes. Whilst the attempts at making a caper story with a light-hearted approach are worthy of appreciation, I think it's fair to say that it is the weakest link here. Still, Bottle Rocket is a small-scale joyride and a confident debut for one of the most idiosyncratic filmmakers working today.