| Bottle Rocket | |
|---|---|
.png) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Wes Anderson |
| Written by | Owen C. Wilson Wes Anderson |
| Based on | Bottle Rocket by Owen C. Wilson and Wes Anderson |
| Produced by | Polly Platt Cynthia Hargrave |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Robert Yeoman |
| Edited by | David Moritz |
| Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | $5 million[2] |
| Box office | $560,069[3] |
Bottle Rocket is a 1996 Americancrime comedy film directed byWes Anderson in hisfeature film directorial debut. Written by Anderson andOwen Wilson and based on Anderson's 1992 short film of the same name, it also marks the acting debuts of brothers Owen andLuke Wilson. Also featured are their older brotherAndrew Wilson, Robert Musgrave,Lumi Cavazos, andJames Caan. Principal photography took place in various locations throughout Texas.
Though not a commercial success due to its limited release in theaters on February 21, 1996, the film received acclaim from critics and launched the film careers of Anderson and the Wilson brothers. DirectorMartin Scorsese later namedBottle Rocket one of his top-ten favorite films of the 1990s.
InArizona, Dignan "rescues" his friend Anthony from a voluntary psychiatric unit, where he has been staying for self-described exhaustion. Dignan has developed a 75-year plan that he shows to Anthony. The plan is to pull off several heists, and then meet up with a Mr. Henry, alandscaper and part-time criminal known to Dignan.
As a practice heist, the two friends break into Anthony's family's house, stealing specific items from a previously agreed upon list. Critiquing the heist, Dignan reveals that he took a pair of earrings not specified on the list. This upsets Anthony, as he purchased the earrings for his mother as a gift and specifically left them off the list. Anthony visits his little sister at her school and asks her to return the earrings.
Dignan recruits Bob Mapplethorpe as agetaway driver because he is the only person they know with a car. The three of them buy a gun and return to Bob's house to plan their next heist, which will be at a local bookstore. The group bickers as Dignan struggles to describe his intricate plan.
The group steals a small sum of money from the bookstore and goes "on the lam," stopping to stay at a motel. Anthony meets Inez, one of the motel maids, and the two spark a romance despite a language barrier.
Bob learns that his marijuana crop at home has been discovered by police, and his older brother has been arrested. He leaves to help his brother without telling Dignan. Before leaving the motel themselves, Anthony gives Dignan an envelope to give to Inez. Dignan delivers it to her while she is cleaning a room, not knowing that the envelope has most of his and Anthony's money inside. Inez does not open the envelope.
As Dignan is leaving, Inez asks a male friend of hers to tell him that she loves Anthony. When he delivers the message he says, "Tell Anthony I love him." Dignan fails to realize he is speaking for Inez and does not deliver the message.
Dignan discovers anAlfa Romeo Spider, and he and Anthony continue with the plan. The car breaks down and Anthony reveals that the envelope Dignan gave to Inez contained their cash. They have a confrontation and part ways.
Sometime later, Dignan, who has joined Mr. Henry's gang, tracks Anthony down and they reconcile. Dignan invites him to a heist with Mr. Henry which he accepts on the condition that Bob is allowed in as well.
The four of them plan to rob a safe at a cold storage facility. Mr. Henry becomes a role model for the others, standing up to Bob's abusive brother and tutoring Dignan on success. He invites the trio to a party, and visits them at the Mapplethorpes' house. Anthony learns of Inez's love for him and calls her. Her English has improved and they rekindle their relationship.
The group conducts their heist at the cold storage facility with Applejack and Kumar, accomplices from Mr. Henry's landscaping company. The plan falls apart, with Kumar unable to crack the safe, and Bob accidentally firing his gun, which in turn triggers a cardiac event in Applejack.
As the police arrive, Dignan locks himself out of the escape van and is arrested and brutalized by police. While the crew are doing their heist, Mr. Henry loads furniture from Bob's home into a truck. Anthony and Bob later visit Dignan in prison and tell him about Mr. Henry robbing Bob.
While Bob and Anthony say goodbye, Dignan begins rattling off an escape plan and tells his friends to get into position for a getaway. After a tense moment, the two realize Dignan is joking. Dignan says to Anthony, "Isn't it funny that you used to be in thenuthouse and now I'm in jail?" as he walks back into the prison.
In 1992, Wes Anderson directed a 13-minute short film, titledBottle Rocket.[4] The short was filmed in black and white, and also starred Owen and Luke Wilson and Musgrave. The short had a similar plot to the later feature film.[5] The film was screened at the 1993Sundance Film Festival,[6] where it attracted the attention of filmmakerJames L. Brooks who agreed to finance a full-length version of the short.[7]
With the exception of its introduction, which was shot atCamarillo State Mental Hospital, the feature-length film was shot inDallas,Fort Worth, andHillsboro, Texas.[8] The scenes at Bob Mapplethorpe's house were filmed at theJohn Gillin Residence.[9]
After the film failed to achieve commercial success,Owen Wilson considered joining theMarines.[10]Bill Murray was considered for the role of Abe Henry.[11][12]
Bottle Rocket received generally positive reviews from film critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, it has an 86% rating based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus describes the film as "Reservoir Dogs meetsBreathless with a West Texas sensibility".[13] OnMetacritic, it has a 66/100weighted average score based on 24 critics.[14]
Martin Scorsese is a fan of the film, calling it one of his favorite movies of the 1990s.[15][16] In a 2000 interview withEsquire, Scorsese praised Wes Anderson for his ability to "convey the simple joys and interactions between people so well and with such richness".[15]
In 2008,Bottle Rocket was released onDVD andBlu-ray as part ofThe Criterion Collection.[17] It was released onUltra HD Blu-ray by Criterion on September 30, 2025, as part of the ten film collectionThe Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years.[18]
