Review of Bottle Rocket (1996) by Matthew A — 07 Jul 2012

Bottle Rocket is Wes Andersonâ(TM)s first film and one of my least favorites. It was an interesting experience watching his first film last because Iâ(TM)m able to see how much Anderson has grown as filmmaker over the years. This film has a totally different feel than Andersonâ(TM)s style now. The main thing is his strong use of muted, contemporary colors doesnâ(TM)t stand out as much of his films do now. My guess to that is that Bottle Rocket is his first film and he didnâ(TM)t have the budget he does now to have really good color correction. The overall directing is classic Anderson with perfectly slow pacing and smooth tracking shots.

Wes Anderson is also the screenwriter for Bottle Rocket. As in all his films the themes of love, family, and friendship are in the film. The story is is kind of boring for me and nothing really to it. Itâ(TM)s about three friends who rob a bookstore and get into a deeper mess when they get involved with a con artist. Whatâ(TM)s a bit different with story in Bottle Rocket compared to Andersonâ(TM)s other films are the characters and how well connected they are to the story. You can relate to the characters in this film with wanting to an adventurous life. In most Anderson films the characters are so eccentric, which leads to the characters taking over the film and the plot straying from your attention. I donâ(TM)t think that is a bad thing though because Iâ(TM)m a huge fan of Andersonâ(TM)s stories and the characters.

Bottle Rocket stars Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, and Robert Musgrave. They all give great performances for the characters theyâ(TM)re portraying, but nothing stands out. Their performances are just really dull and nothing special. I will say that I enjoy Owen Wilson in Bottle Rocket over some of his newer films/performances.

Bottle Rocket is my least favorite Wes Anderson film, but there is an audience out there that will enjoy it.