`Bottle Rocket' explodes with clean fun, wannabe crooks
There were approximately four people in the Sunday matinee of Bottle Rocket I attended. This is a shame, not only because the film is the product of a local director and should generate more interest, but because it's refreshingly different from your average movie debut. It's a charming, humorous crime flick with a minimum of blood and a bunch of characters you can actually believe in.
Houstonian Wes Anderson's debut feature opens with winning style, as Anthony (played engagingly by Luke Wilson) escapes from a mental hospital with the assistance of his ne'er-do-well buddy Dignan (screenwriter Owen C. Wilson). Well, semi-escapes -- the hospital is a voluntary one, but Anthony goes along with Dignan's plan in order to boost his friend's ego.
The pair have new direction in their lives: They're going to be crooks, and Dignan has mapped out their entire career. With the assistance of Bob (Robert Musgrave), who owns the group's only car, they set out on a crime spree.
The plan is to carry out some robberies in order to impress Mr. Henry (played by James Caan), a criminal contact Dignan developed at his old landscaping job.
It's in a hotel hideaway that Anthony meets and falls for Inez (Lumi Cavazos), a Hispanic maid who speaks little English but is grateful for his attention. When the gang breaks apart, each goes his own way until they are finally reunited by Dignan, who now works for Mr. Henry.
The plan is to pull off a serious heist, with Mr. Henry's henchmen helping out. Their robbery of a cold-storage warehouse doesn't go as planned, and the boys learn a thing or two about trusting criminals.
What makes this movie different from the typical crime film is that the criminals are college-age guys who really have no idea what they're doing. They've seen the same movies we have but are hardly prepared for the kind of lives they strain to lead.
It's funny to see three friendly fellows trying to be tough when it seems like what they should really be doing is interning during the summer.
The movie looks like it was made on a decent budget, the acting is surprisingly competent (particularly Owen C. Wilson as the indefatigable Dignan) and the narrative flows at a constant, though perhaps too leisurely, pace.
It seems like Anderson is straining at times to make a point or to develop a thematic element which really isn't there; but for the most part his direction is straightforward.
Although nothing really leaps out and dazzles you, Bottle Rocket turns out like one of those selfsame fireworks: it's terribly simple, but certainly fun.
It might seem like a duty to try to support local filmmakers, but Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket isn't a chore; it's an interesting distraction which makes for a pleasant 90 minutes in the dark. And that's more than you can say for a lot of people.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the March 15, 1996 issue.
Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights
Reserved.
This document may be distributed
electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety
and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted
without the express written permission of:
The Rice
Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.
The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@rice.edu