Bottle Rocket (1996)

Three friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Owen Wilson (as Owen C. Wilson), Wes Anderson

Stars:

Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Ned Dowd

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a hare-brained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry. With the help of their pathetic neighbor and pal Bob, Anthony and Dignan pull a job and hit the road, where Anthony finds love with motel maid Inez. When our boys finally hook up with Mr. Henry, the ensuing escapade turns out to be far from what anyone expected.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | caper | motel | escapade | robbery | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bottle Rocket

Filming Locations:

Hinckley Cold Storage, 4008 Commerce Sreet,. Dallas, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$124,118, 21 February 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$560,069

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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, as well as the name of a small town in southern California, located on California Highway 46, between Interstate 5 and California Highway 99.

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Goofs

After the bookstore robbery, while at the house after the robbery while celebrating and talking back and forth, you can clearly see police lights flashing behind the trees, which are behind Owen Wilson while the camera is focused on him. This was meant to lead into a scene which was deleted about the police being called to the neighborhood for an unrelated issue but end up discovering Bob's marijuana crop.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Anthony: Hey, Dr Nichols, I was just coming down to say goodbye...

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Connections

Referenced in Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

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Soundtracks

Alone Again Or
Written by Brian Maclean
Performed by Love
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Published by Breadcrust Music, admin. by Peer International Corp.

User Reviews

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.