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doomonfilm · 6 years

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Thoughts : Bottle Rocket (1996)

Over the years, Wes Anderson has become one of the key figures in regards to modern day heralded directors. His offbeat humor, his penchant for switching adult and child personas, and his vivid visual style have all become part of the greater cinematic lexicon thanks to his stellar catalog of releases the last two decades. While not the flashiest or most stylized of his films, his debut film Bottle Rocket showed signs of the genius to come, and only manages to get better as the years go by.

Anthony (Luke Wilson) and Dignan (Owen Wilson) are friends that are each facing dilemmas that could alter the course of their lives. Anthony, fresh out of a voluntary psychiatric ward, finds himself disenchanted with the world and his place in it. Dignan struggles with his identity as a proverbial nobody, hoping to pull a few heists as a small-time crook before working his way into a band of thieves led by Mr. Henry (James Caan). With the help of their friend Bob (Robert Musgrave), the crew robs a bookstore and goes on the lam, hiding in a remote motel. While Dignan struggles to keep his crew motivated and focused, Bob faces trouble back home, and Anthony falls in love with housekeeper Inez (Lumi Cavazos), despite a language gap. With their money low and the bonds of their friendships tested, the crew returns home defeated, but not disconnected from their hopes and dreams. With Dignan persistent to prove himself, he and Anthony take part in one last big score with Mr. Henry and his team, with hilariously memorable results.

At it’s core, Bottle Rocket is a simple story about ambition, desire, and what any given individual is willing to go through (or put up with) to manifest these desires. Most every character has a base desire of making sure their loved ones are taken care of and have peace of mind, no matter how bad their loved ones may treat them. Anthony finds himself in the grips of romance, with the ambition of both fostering it into something greater, and getting over the language barrier present, in order to fully manifest what he feels when with Inez. From the opening frames, Dignan has the ambition of being the key to success for those he loves, be it helping Anthony ‘escape’ a voluntary psych ward, or being the common factor in a theft ring that will make everyone involved rich and respected. The film itself is even ambitious in its scope, taking a very simple approach and injecting it with occasional stimulating rushes of emotion, action and humor.

Despite solid production and a solid story, the true thing that keeps this film’s energy high and moving forward is its quirkiness, and it’s lack of shame in embracing it. Owen Wilson alone puts on a masterclass in how to mesmerize on film via unique choices, be they facial expressions, funny line reads or just seizing moments to do something silly. Robert Musgrave embraces his inner child throughout his appearances in the film, even though he is decked out in a three-piece suit for most of his screen time. Even Mr. Henry is introduced as a prankster, despite the high and mighty words of praise continually given to him prior to his first appearance. The way that Anthony attempts to initially get over his language barrier with Inez leads to some of the best sequences in the film due to quirky communication misunderstandings. Even the heist near the end of the film comes close to mirroring Keystone cops levels of competence.

The soundtrack to this film is sheer brilliance, and an early indicator of how masterful Wes Anderson is in his selection and application of popular music to sequences in his films. In particular, the music of Love is showcased quite well in the film, and the Spanish music used to introduce Inez is appropriate without being too on the nose or heavy-handed in its application. The Mark Mothersbaugh score helps with the aforementioned quirky energy throughout the film as well.

Luke Wilson doesn’t go too far off the map we’ve come to know him for, but this character seemed more like it was written for the actor than having an actor cast to portray the character on paper. His cool, calm and collective manner carries his air of nihilism quite well, and his charm kicks in to gear upon the introduction of Inez. Owen Wilson is the MVP of this film, pretty much allowed to cut loose and do what he pleases from scene to scene to gloriously hilarious effect. Robert Musgrave gets the sympathy from the viewer, with his hangdog portrayal of Bob being hard to get mad at or argue against in regards to his decisions. James Caan is his usual boisterous self, being a perfect fit as the leader of a gang of misfits. Lumi Cavazos is wonderfully charming in her role of Inez.

The Wes Anderson films that followed Bottle Rocket may have been more ambitious, more artistic and praised more overall, but it’s hard to ignore the sheer power and connection that this film brings as a debut offering. If you call yourself an Anderson fan and have not seen this film, that is something you should rectify soon.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #WesAnderson #BottleRocket #LukeWilson #OwenWilson #RobertMusgrave #JamesCaan #LumiCavazos #NedDowd #SheaFowler #HaleyMiller #AndrewWilson #BrianTenenbaum #StephenDignan #AnnaCifuentes #KumarPallana #MarkMothersbaugh

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