A Brilliant Conflict

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerWes Anderson's first feature film shows us this directors future potential. Bottle Rockets is not his best film but it has some good moments. Throughout the film, there are very funny scenes and some good dialogue. I just thought that the film was missing Anderson's classic quirkiness and weirdness.The acting is very good. Owen and Luke Wilson work great together and both are very funny. Robert Musgrave, Ned Dowd, Andrew Wilson, and Jenni Tooley all perform well.The pacing, for me, was a little slow and the runtime was overlong. This film was better as a short rather than a full feature.Pros: Some funny moments in the story, Owen and Luke Wilson's performance, and good overall actingCons: Slow pacing, an overlong runtime, and the film was missing Anderson's weirdnessOverall Rating: 6.5

With its bright colors, subtle sense of humor, and quirky characters, "Bottle Rocket" certainly contains the essence of Wes Anderson's later films. Although his style wasn't fully developed until "Rushmore" in 1998, "Bottle Rocket" works as a sort of glance at the development of this style. Perhaps the shots aren't as centered, and the soundtrack isn't as jam packed with classic rock, but its still a great, fun Wes Anderson movie. "Bottle Rocket" is mainly known today for being the feature length debut of popular indie filmmaker Wes Anderson, and perhaps it would not be nearly as interesting if Anderson did not have a subsequent career, but "Bottle Rocket" is still a pretty awesome movie nonetheless. The humor is, more often then not, really hilarious, clever, and subtle. The audience is not bombarded with clichés and predictable punchlines, but instead is given a feast of slight quirks and oddities that arise when these particular characters are put into these particular situations. The film also has plenty of heart and drama. The characters aren't just vehicles for jokes and slapstick, they are people with issues and goals, relationships and enemies. They argue, fight, hang out, and engage in small talk-it's a very refreshing comedy-and, simply put, a highly enjoyable one.

Bottle Rocket is a mid-1990s indie film about a few quirky, mostly directionless 20 year old men who end up in a caper involving residential lawn care.This was the first film made by the assuredly brilliant, eminently (by now) accomplished Wes Anderson. Viewers expecting the same bottled madcap magic Anderson would later deliver in Rushmore, The Royal Tennenbaums, and The Life Aquatic [ . . .] will not find much here.Anderson critics building their cases against disappointments like The Darjeeling Limited will find in this film the seeds of the auteur's excesses sometimes getting the better of his projects. Combining the talents of Owen Wilson and James Caan with some (much) lesser lights, the film is amply kitted out with dynamic actors. But those actors are not given much of a story to tell. Rather, the film unfolds almost as if Anderson was out to prove he could make a film that doesn't try to do storytelling. And for the record, is this a comedy we are watching, or a Somerset Maugham homage, an existential commentary we should wanly smile at and droll along with?

What it is on the face value is a crime comedy film but what it actually is, is more fun.Three friends want to do something big and quick even if it's illegal. They set out a plan execute it to failure, OK, if it's once that would have been fine but what if it fails the second time too. Is this a movie then, movies are not supposed to fail aren't they? Heroes should prosper and even if caught, they must escape and prove their innocence. This film has a different perspective than the above mentioned clichéd trivial thinking.It has got all the ingredients of a good fun film. There is a love story, a friendship, envy and even deceit. It's the flow of the story that makes it a good film and a cut above the rest. The performances are strong and believable, the editing is precise and the cinematography is good. Keeping in mind the meager budget, this is surely a well made film with good production quality. The winner although is the story and the writing. This is the first Wes Anderson film and as a debut, he had done a fabulous job. A 3/5 for a film that is definitely good.