Bottle Rocket (1996)

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Owen Wilson (written by) &
Wes Anderson (written by)

Release Date:

21 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They're not really criminals, but everybody's got to have a dream.

Plot:

Focusing on a trio of friends and their elaborate plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.

Plot Keywords:

Escapade | Robbery | Kicked In Butt | Barbershop | Laundry Room

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Luke Wilson	...	Anthony Adams
Owen Wilson	...	Dignan (as Owen C. Wilson)
Ned Dowd	...	Dr. Nichols
Shea Fowler	...	Grace
Haley Miller	...	Bernice
Robert Musgrave	...	Bob Mapplethorpe
Andrew Wilson	...	Future Man
Brian Tenenbaum	...	H. Clay Murchison
Jenni Tooley	...	Stacy Sinclair
Temple Nash	...	Temple
Dipak Pallana	...	Bookstore Employee
Darryl Cox	...	Bookstore Manager
Stephen Dignan	...	Rob
Lumi Cavazos	...	Inez
Julie Mayfield	...	Wife in Motelroom

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | USA:R (certificate #33597) | UK:15 | Ireland:15 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The name of the prison at the end of the film is "Wasco", the same as the last name of production designer David Wasco.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When "Applejack" and Dignan pick up Anthony in the Green Monte Carlo, they leave without the dog.

Quotes:

Anthony: You told, you told your friend Bernice I'm some kind of jet pilot?
Grace: What was I supposed to say, they stuck you in an insane asylum?
Anthony: It wasn't an insane asylum, Grace. I explained to you back then that it was for exhaustion.
Grace: Exhaustion?
Anthony: Yes, exhaustion.
Grace: You haven't worked a day in your life. How could you be exhausted?

Movie Connections:

References Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)

Soundtrack:

Pachanga Diferente

What an interesting, yet hilarious quirky comedy!

I was watching the Roger Ebert movie show when he was giving his best films of the decade of the 1990's with movie director Martin Scorsese. Scorsese picked Bottle Rocket as his seventh favorite movie of the decade. From that point forward, I had to search out and find this movie. Boy, am I glad that I did.

The movie Bottle Rocket is a joy. It is a caper comedy in one respect, but also an interesting look at how the bad brother can talk the good brother into doing the wrong thing. The second idea sets up some great comedy bits. Owen Wilson as the bad brother, Dignan, is absolutely hilarious. From this point forward, I will always be interested in seeing him in a movie. His brother Luke Wilson as the good, yet naive brother, is also very charming. James Caan shows up in the second half of the movie and is fantastic. The writer/director, Wes Anderson (Rushmore), does a great job of telling an off-beat story and gives his characters great lines to say.

All in all, Bottle Rocket was a pleasant surprise that I had never heard of. Thank you Martin Scorsese.