Fellman's Movie Reviews

Bottle Rocket is a 1996 crime comedy directed by Wes Anderson and starring Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, and Robert Musgrave. Luke Wilson also co-wrote the script with Anderson. This is not only Wes Anderson’s directorial debut, but also the Wilson brother’s first appearance on screen. Their older brother Andrew Wilson also has a smaller role in the movie. He would go on to have a career in Hollywood as well. Albeit, not as well known as his brothers.  

Bottle Rocket is an interesting film. It’s funny, sure. But it’s also Wes Anderson, so it’s kind of weird. It kind of picks up in the middle of a story that you didn’t really know was happening and then backtracks by explaining it later in the movie. See? That sentence was pretty confusing, right? That’s how a lot of the movie goes. That’s how most Wes Anderson movies go. You just kind of have to deal with it sometimes.  

But, it has its moments. There’s some pretty funny dialogue throughout the movie. I didn’t laugh out loud that many times, but there were a couple that were funny enough to make me bust up laughing. It’s not a hilarious type of movie. More of a “sit and watch” type of movie.  

It’s a good enough plot. Even if it isn’t tied together that well. It seems to drift from one chain of events to another without any real explanation as to how they got there or what’s going on with certain people. Some would call that “plot holes”. I call it just being Wes Anderson. You really have to take his scripts with a grain of salt. Assume what you’re seeing is what’s happening. There’s no other way to do it. 

As far as the acting goes, I’ve always been a big fan of Luke and Owen Wilson. Even when they’re not doing Wes Anderson movies. Which, Owen does a lot of. But, Luke did Idiocracy and Old School, and he was great in both of those. James Caan, who plays Mr. Henry, a legendary actor in his own right. And even though everybody else has small parts, they’re perfectly acceptable for the film that they’re in. 

So, yeah. Go and see Bottle Rocket. For a 30 year old comedy, it’ll still probably make you laugh. At least a little bit. Maybe it’ll even inspire you. The movie’s about crime, so, that might backfire on you. And as always, keep on watching, with a smile on your face…