Bottle Rocket 1996
Bottle Rocket
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a harebrained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry.
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a harebrained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 25 Photoscast
Full Cast & Crew... Dignan
... Anthony Adams
... Bob Mapplethorpe
... Inez
... Future Man
... Mr. Henry
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews15 Jun 2022 by Len Smith
It's always staggering to me that _Bottle Rocket_ is almost universally considered one of Wes Anderson's worst movies. Seeing the sub-70% rating on this website nearly broke my heart. And since there were no reviews of the film, I decided it was my duty as a _Bottle Rocket_ stan to make a feeble attempt at evangelizing on its behalf. People complain about how twee and pretentious Anderson's movies come across. Yet, somehow, as one of his movies that largely sidesteps those pitfalls, Bottle Rocket usually gets shit on the most. Part of the "problem" is that there's a subtlety to the humor and the storytelling that is unmatched in Anderson's filmography. It's not as "mainstream quirky" as a _Moonrise Kingdom_, nor does it have the flashiness (relatively speaking) of a _Rushmore_ or a _Life Aquatic_. It's much more than that -- to me, at least. It's a very low-stakes film, something which I always appreciate in my fiction. It's just a bunch of morons who want to be criminals. Why? Because they're morons and they have names like Dignan and Applejack and it's funny. You want a compelling plot, go watch _The Royal Tenenbaums_. You want to laugh at Owen Wilson dressing up in a banana-colored jumpsuit and riding around on a tiny motorcycle, _Bottle Rocket_'s ya boy. Luke Wilson's Anthony is, ostensibly, the star of this film. His struggle with his vague mental illness really resonates with me because I, too, am nuts. Owen Wilson is the main attraction here, though. He brings a sort of low-key freneticism to Dignan that always makes me smile. Look at that little guy go. I honestly don't think Wes Anderson has ever written a better character, though I know that I'm, inexplicably, the only person in the world who thinks that. I don't know what I can say to make people like this movie more. It's good! It's fun and cute and sweet! It's very Wes Anderson without being too Wes Anderson. You know? I would think more people would appreciate that. If this were made today, Timothee Chalamet would undoubtedly be cast as one of the two leads, so let's be glad it lives forever encased in 1996 carbonite.
Release Date:
Feb 21, 1996 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 31`
MMPA Rating:
R
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Bottle Rocket
It's always staggering to me that _Bottle Rocket_ is almost universally considered one of Wes Anderson's worst movies. Seeing the sub-70% rating on this website nearly broke my heart. And since there were no reviews of the film, I decided it was my duty as a _Bottle Rocket_ stan to make a feeble attempt at evangelizing on its behalf. People complain about how twee and pretentious Anderson's movies come across. Yet, somehow, as one of his movies that largely sidesteps those pitfalls, Bottle Rocket usually gets shit on the most. Part of the "problem" is that there's a subtlety to the humor and the storytelling that is unmatched in Anderson's filmography. It's not as "mainstream quirky" as a _Moonrise Kingdom_, nor does it have the flashiness (relatively speaking) of a _Rushmore_ or a _Life Aquatic_. It's much more than that -- to me, at least. It's a very low-stakes film, something which I always appreciate in my fiction. It's just a bunch of morons who want to be criminals. Why? Because they're morons and they have names like Dignan and Applejack and it's funny. You want a compelling plot, go watch _The Royal Tenenbaums_. You want to laugh at Owen Wilson dressing up in a banana-colored jumpsuit and riding around on a tiny motorcycle, _Bottle Rocket_'s ya boy. Luke Wilson's Anthony is, ostensibly, the star of this film. His struggle with his vague mental illness really resonates with me because I, too, am nuts. Owen Wilson is the main attraction here, though. He brings a sort of low-key freneticism to Dignan that always makes me smile. Look at that little guy go. I honestly don't think Wes Anderson has ever written a better character, though I know that I'm, inexplicably, the only person in the world who thinks that. I don't know what I can say to make people like this movie more. It's good! It's fun and cute and sweet! It's very Wes Anderson without being too Wes Anderson. You know? I would think more people would appreciate that. If this were made today, Timothee Chalamet would undoubtedly be cast as one of the two leads, so let's be glad it lives forever encased in 1996 carbonite.
Cast & Crew of
Bottle Rocket
Directors & Credit Writers
... First Assistant Director
... Script Supervisor
JF
Jim Flowers... Second Second Assistant Director
Cast
... Dignan
... Anthony Adams
... Bob Mapplethorpe
... Inez
... Future Man
... Mr. Henry
... Rocky
SF
Shea Fowler... Grace
JP
Jim Ponds... Applejack
... Kumar
ND
Ned Dowd... Dr. Nichols
TK
Tak Kubota... Rowboat
... Carmen
HM
Haley Miller... Bernice
... H. Clay Murchison
... Stacy Sinclair
... Bookstore Employee
... Bookstore Manager
... Rob
TN
Temple Nash... Temple
Produced By
... Production Coordinator
JCF
James C. Flores... Assistant Production Coordinator
LK
Liz Keigley... Casting