Review of Bottle Rocket (1996) by Derek T — 02 Jan 2014
Wes Anderson's first film is necessarily evaluated in two ways: both as its own entity and as part of the larger Anderson universe. On its own, it is a sneakishly funny black comedy about some very dumb criminals, subtle in its many movements through the action of an unorthodox heist movie.
All three Wilson brothers, led by leads Owen and Luke, are impeccable in their presentation of the would-be-criminals, and the supporting cast is funny in that Anderson kind of way. As part of the Anderson canon, it is a foretaste of the filmmaker Anderson would become, exploring some of the themes and ideas, as well as sampling some of the visual techniques that would become instantly identifiable as Wes Anderson's only two years later with Rushmore.
One could argue that there are moments that are a little awkwardly framed or filmed, and a couple of places in which minor improvements could be made, but it is a surprisingly polished film for the then-new Anderson; it is even arguable whether there are actually improvements to be made or if we can just think of how Anderson would have filmed it later in his career and wish he could have done it that way with this film.
Bottle Rocket is a must-see as part of the Anderson canon, but it stands up on its own, as long as you like Wes Anderson.
This review of Bottle Rocket (1996) was written by Derek T on 02 Jan 2014.
Bottle Rocket has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
