Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

WubsTheFadger Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerWes Anderson's first feature film shows us this directors future potential. Bottle Rockets is not his best film but it has some good moments. Throughout the film, there are very funny scenes and some good dialogue. I just thought that the film was missing Anderson's classic quirkiness and weirdness.The acting is very good. Owen and Luke Wilson work great together and both are very funny. Robert Musgrave, Ned Dowd, Andrew Wilson, and Jenni Tooley all perform well.The pacing, for me, was a little slow and the runtime was overlong. This film was better as a short rather than a full feature.Pros: Some funny moments in the story, Owen and Luke Wilson's performance, and good overall actingCons: Slow pacing, an overlong runtime, and the film was missing Anderson's weirdnessOverall Rating: 6.5

runamokprods While, for me, this isn't up to the level of many of Anderson's best films to come, this rambling, likable and good-natured oddball shaggy dog story, packs in some real emotion to go with laughs along the way. It's full of terrific understated performances, and good use of images and music.I recently watched it a 2nd time and thought I wasn't all that into it... until near the end, when it suddenly got me on a deeper level emotionally than on first viewing. There's something in it about the loss of childhood dreams that resonates beyond the silly and playful surface. Always a good sign when a film deepens with time and re-visiting.Of course Criterion do their usual great job with both the transfer and the extras, and seeing the original short film is very interesting and a lot of fun in it's own right.Anderson has gone on to become one of our most important film-makers, and if this first film doesn't represent him as quite at full speed yet, it's still well worth seeing in terms of both entertainment and recent film history.

sharky_55 What I expected from Wes Anderson's debut feature, having seen all of his other work and become a fan of his over the years, was something a bit less methodical and more fresh. The first thing that people think about when they see his name is of course his distinct style. This is something that is noticeable to even the casual moviegoer, even if they don't have the vocabulary to exactly describe or express it. And you see little hints of it here in Bottle Rocket. The hard angles of the frame looking down at objects being laid out for our characters to survey creeps up when Dignan outlines his 75 year plan to Anthony - perhaps not as rigidly as later Anderson. The characters are assigned snappy dialogue that is delivered with an air of nonchalance, particularly in situations of danger and risk. The motel, with its chic pink and white decor, is positively dollhouse-esque. And there are little details that would only later show up; here he is more likely to conventionally cut between subjects rather than use his trademark whip pan like a character turning his head. The biggest different, apart from this being his debut and still finding his stylistic feet, is the budget. Anderson's later features would later all have distinct colour palettes that bloomed in flat layers behind our morose main characters - as a sort of dramatic irony in their emotional distress that fails to recognise the beauty in the world around them. And he would have the financial freedom to dedicate huge amounts of detail into his production design for lavish scenes that might only last a few minutes; see the intro for The Royal Tenenbaums. To his credit, Anderson gets more than his money's worth in Bottle Rocket. The aforementioned motel looks like something out a faded postcard, still and pale in its serenity. Yeoman's strong yellows and reds punctuate each scene and seem to represent comfort in Dignan and Anthony's respective dress. Ultimately, the story of Bottle Rocket is a littler underdeveloped. Anderson twists the usual small-time crooks into these vivid storybook characters and fills them with his own brand of awkward humour. They plan an elaborate escape from the mental hospital, only to realise that anyone can walk in and out. They methodically canvas an empty house only to have revealed that it is Anthony's family house and that they have a specific list of approved and forbidden items in mind. A life of crime is more an inconvenience to them rather than a career path, and they are easily sidetracked. The plot moves quickly towards an end that is a logical failure. It doesn't seem to be too much of a concern because they are not vicious criminals but misunderstood grown up boys who have not yet found their calling in life. There's a sweet romance that blossoms as expected. The brothers quarrel and make up. They are scolded by the same people they rob, and take care to adjust the figurine display while they steal. While normal characters would be left speechless at their mentor robbing them blind, they shake their heads and chuckle. And there are those supercharged moments when one- liners are spit out and the soundtrack roars into recognition, but Anderson doesn't yet have that subtlety about his films. It's all about the Stones song. Nothing really seems to stick, and the lessons are vague and overly reliant on earnestness, as if this is enough to carry them throughout a lifetime. Their upbeat attitude won't be unseated. In the end, there's enough chemistry and natural charm to make it an enjoyable watch.

braddugg What it is on the face value is a crime comedy film but what it actually is, is more fun.Three friends want to do something big and quick even if it's illegal. They set out a plan execute it to failure, OK, if it's once that would have been fine but what if it fails the second time too. Is this a movie then, movies are not supposed to fail aren't they? Heroes should prosper and even if caught, they must escape and prove their innocence. This film has a different perspective than the above mentioned clichéd trivial thinking.It has got all the ingredients of a good fun film. There is a love story, a friendship, envy and even deceit. It's the flow of the story that makes it a good film and a cut above the rest. The performances are strong and believable, the editing is precise and the cinematography is good. Keeping in mind the meager budget, this is surely a well made film with good production quality. The winner although is the story and the writing. This is the first Wes Anderson film and as a debut, he had done a fabulous job. A 3/5 for a film that is definitely good.