Movie rockets skyward
By Jeff Renfro
"Bottle Rocket," the 1996 release from director Wes Anderson, was a box-office bomb in its initial theatrical release. The film was based on the 13 minute short of the same name that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. It was criminally mismarketed by Columbia Pictures as a gritty crime movie ("Bottle Rocket" can be found in the action section of most video stores), which completely missed the point of this quirky comedy.
Written by Anderson, along with writing partner and college friend Owen Wilson, the original, short "Bottle Rocket" was a surprise hit at Sundance in 1994. The duo agreed to expand their project into a full length feature. The story follows a group of three young men, Anthony (played by Luke Wilson), Dignen (Owen Wilson), and Bob, who decide to rob a book store in order to impress a local mobster (played by James Caan).
The opening scene of the movie sets the tone for everything that will follow: Dignen engineers a daring plan to break Anthony out of a voluntary mental hospital. Anthony does not have the heart to explain that he could just walk out of the front door so he ties his sheets together and climbs out of a second story window. The two recruit Bob to be their driver, buy a gun, and rob a local bookstore. The trio is forced to hideout in a cheap motel, where Anthony falls in love with a young maid and the group falls apart.
Anderson, who went on to direct the cinematic classics "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums," developed his unique style on this project. Dignen's incredibly detailed notebook (which features his five, 10, and 25 year plans, along with his visions for moving into the 21st century) shows the attention to detail that has set Anderson apart from his peers.
The feeling of the movie is somewhat removed from reality. All of the situations and characters are potentially real, but there is a certain quality to everything that skews the perception enough to throw the audience off.
Although not as influenced by the French New Wave as "Rushmore," "Bottle Rocket" features several nods to the crime movies of Melville and the work of Truffaut. Anderson did not yet have the budget to create an entire world for the movie to take place in, but he does manage to frame suburbia in a way that is insightful and hilarious.
The performances in this movie are amazing. The Wilson brothers were completely unknown before this film. Dignen might be Owen's best character, which is saying a lot. He plays the characters perfectly, as a man who wants a lot out of life, but lacks the opportunities or tools to achieve anything great. Luke's turn as Anthony is very understated. The audience sympathizes with his desire to find something meaningful in life and likes him for the way that he supports his friends.
Fans of Anderson's later movies will love "Bottle Rocket." It is not as funny as "Rushmore," or as polished as "The Royal Tenenbaums," but it might be the most heartfelt. The original 13 minute version can be seen online at www.wesanderson.org. Watch the movie that introduced the world to the most promising filmmaker working today.
Grade: A
û Contact Jeff Renfro at (408) 554-4546 or jrenfro@scu.edu