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

Official Sites:

Filmnegah.com (Persian)

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

James L. Brooks insisted that major work be done on the script, so he had Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson flown to Los Angeles and set up in an office on one hundred dollars a day. Having never flown first class in his life, Wilson tried to exchange his prearranged first class plane ticket for a coach ticket, hoping to pocket the difference in cash instead. When the airline told him the money would just go back to the credit card of who bought the ticket, he gave in and flew first class for the first time (source: "The Making of Bottle Rocket" featurette on the Criterion release).

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Goofs

During the Hinckley Cold Storage robbery, Anthony gets up from sitting on some stairs. When he first gets up his jumpsuit is dirty, but when he is shown checking on the elevator it is clean again.

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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 Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 2 (2006)

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Soundtracks

Pachanga Diferente
Written & Performed by Rene Touzet
Courtesy of GNP Crescendo Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group
Published by Skyview Music Corp.

User Reviews

Low-key hilarity.

I love this movie. It makes me smile and just feel good.

It's about, primarily, a guy named Dignan, played by Owen Wilson, who has a 75 year plan of crime for himself and his friend, Anthony, played by Luke Wilson, and reaping the fruits of crime. He wants to employ such interesting things as explosives, hot-air balloons, and pole-vaulting (!) in his outlandish plans for robbing bookstores and cold-storage facilities. He's happy to fill small baggies with money stolen from a bookstore after closing and takes pride in getting "the best room in the house" and some road-side Motel-6 type motel to reward themselves for a successful heist.

If you like quirky, subtle humor, this one's for you. I give it 9/10!