Review of Bottle Rocket (1996) by Ben B — 05 Aug 2009

Wes Anderson's debut finally gets the Criterion treatment, joining the rest of his films (minus the recent :Darjeeling Ltd.") in a collection that still believes in giving fans their money's worth for DVDs.

As for the film itself, it really depends on two things: whether or not you like Anderson's films, and how you feel about Owen Wilson. His films all share a similar style in terms of both style and writing, and it all depends on whether or not you think it's funny.

Personally I enjoy some more than others, and "Bottle Rocket" is one of my favorites, along with "The Royal Tenenbaums". As for Wilson, I don't much care for most of his performances, and in this case enjoy the subtle quirkiness of his brother Luke, making his film debut (not counting the 1994 short of the same title).

The one allowance I will make for Owen is his writing. A long time collaborator with Anderson, his best performances are in these films, and it is largely because of his involvement in the writing process.

Many people have a love or hate relationship with these films, but regardless of how you feel, this is an impressive debut that launched the careers of Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, and of course Wes Anderson.