Review of Bottle Rocket (1996) by Andrew T — 14 Sep 2008
Watching this made me miss Owen Wilson when he used to be funny. I think the turning point in his career for me was when he did Behind Enemy Lines. Although Wes Anderson deserves to be credited for the success of this film, the Wilson brothers (especially Owen) contribute considerably to why this film works.
Bottle Rocket doesn't have the stylistic look of Anderson's later films, but it has the same quirkiness of Rushmore, Royal Tenanbaums, and his other films. The chemistry between all the characters works great here, especially the relationship between Luke Wilson and Lumi Cavazos.
Wes Anderson does such a good job in creating a unique world that always seems to transcend any particular time period. Some have compared Anderson to the Coen Brothers and when he was first starting out, there were critics who unfairly accused him of trying to copy the Coens.
If you've seen most of Anderson's films, you'll quickly notice that that is far from the truth. I don't think he ever tried to somehow copy the Coen Brothers in any regard. Sure, he may have been influenced by their films, but its quite a stretch to say that he is trying to copy their style.
If you haven't seen this film, check it out and then watch Rushmore and The Royal Tennanbaums if you haven't seen those either.
This review of Bottle Rocket (1996) was written by Andrew T on 14 Sep 2008.
Bottle Rocket has generally received positive reviews.
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