Review of Bottle Rocket (1996) by Justin M — 13 Feb 2009

I found 2/3 of this movie to be quite excellent. The beginning up to where they hide out at the motel is hilarious, as is the last 1/2 hour or so including the final heist. But it drags quite a bit in the middle while theyre at the hotel.

Nice James Caan appearance as well. This was great to me as it was just more signature Wes Anderson dialogue and humor, but at the same time theres a clear divide between this and his other works. Wes has such a talent for creating flawed characters and getting the audience to empathize with them, and Dignan is a prime example of that.

As fucked up as he is he still went back to get Applejack, even though he was in on a job that eventually screwed him. In that respect the flick said something interesting, even if the romance fell flat for me.

I'd like to add that the amount Bob gets shit on in this movie might be one of my favorite running jokes ever.