At last I can finally check off the box for the Wes Anderson film that has evaded my viewing for so long. There’s certainly no reason for why I’ve never seen it. The Criterion disc has sat on my shelf next to the other Wes Anderson films that I’ve viewed countless times over the years. I literally don’t know how many times I’ve watched Rushmore, Fantastic Mr. Fox, or The Royal Tenenbaums. Perhaps I subconsciously avoided the antics of the Wilson brothers because I worried that it would be a rookie film that wouldn’t hold up to the assured catalog of his career output.
I shouldn’t have worried.
His films have always had a sense of whimsy paired with emotional distance, which admittedly can be off putting at first (I didn’t like RT the first time I watched it) but eventually become endearing over time. Who hasn’t been annoyed by Max Fischer’s ambition only to want him succeed with his playwriting, or felt the Tenenbaum children where all oddly elusive but came to understand them once you began to know their father, Royal. Anderson’s films have been like that from me, with the exception of Fantastic Fox. It took me a while to “get” them but with each viewing I fell in love with them.
I adored Bottle Rocket from moment one. As Anthony (Luke Wilson) prepares to voluntarily check himself out of a mental hospital, he ties sheets together and hangs him out the window. When his doctor inquires as to what the hell he is doing, Anthony points out the window to his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) hiding in the bushes. Dignan, not realizing that Anthony could leave at any time, planned an elaborate escape for him, and Anthony felt compelled to humor his pal.
This scene highlights exactly why the film works for me. Eventually the film morphs into a caper film, with both a robbery of a bookstore and a cold storage facility, neither of which goes off well. But throughout the film, Dignan, played with a slightly unhinged from reality sweetness by Owen Wilson, continually has plans for the next big thing. Sure, at times those plans might involve dynamite, pole vaulting, laughing gas, choppers, and hang gliders, but he wholeheartedly believes in the plans, himself, and his friendship with Anthony.
As with many buddy/caper films, there’s a woman who gets in the way, and usually causes tension, but in this instance that doesn’t actually happen. Anthony falls for a maid, Inez, while they’re “hiding out” after the bookstore robbery, and Dignan couldn’t be happier for him. In a unique twist, the only problem that arises from this romantic subplot happens due to Dignan not properly understanding the intent behind a language interpretation.
It’s astounding to me to see how fully formed many of Wes Anderson’s signatures were in his first film. He’s got sweet and pure love that has the potential to be doomed, numerous characters that are in way over their head but are so cocksure they don’t seem to notice, an eclectic cast of actors ranging from complete unknown to actual elder statesman movie star. And of course, in true Anderson fashion, the music is spot on. He might not have had the money to create his signature dollhouse set pieces yet, but each setting looks perfect for what he’s trying to accomplish.
Bottle Rocket is a success and it’s easy to see how it launched the careers of the Wilson brothers as well as Anderson. My only wish is that Wes had continued to co-write with Owen.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
