ComedyCrimeDrama

Bottle Rocket

- They're not really criminals, but everyone's got to have a dream.

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.

Release Date : 1996-02-21

Language :SpanishEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Gracie FilmsColumbia PicturesBoyle-Taylor Productions

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Bottle Rocket

Cast

Character Name : Anthony Adams

Original Name : Luke Wilson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dignan

Original Name : Owen Wilson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bob Mapplethorpe

Original Name : Robert Musgrave

Gender : Male

Character Name : Inez

Original Name : Lumi Cavazos

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Abe Henry

Original Name : James Caan

Gender : Male

Character Name : John "Future Man" Mapplethorpe

Original Name : Andrew Wilson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hector Mapplethorpe

Original Name : Teddy Wilson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rocky

Original Name : Donny Caicedo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Nichols

Original Name : Ned Dowd

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stacy Sinclair

Original Name : Jenni Tooley

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grace

Original Name : Shea Fowler

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kumar

Original Name : Kumar Pallana

Gender : Male

Character Name : Applejack

Original Name : Jim Ponds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jackson

Original Name : Haskel Craver

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bernice

Original Name : Haley Miller

Gender : Male

Character Name : H. Clay Murchison

Original Name : Brian Tenenbaum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Temple

Original Name : Temple Nash

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bookstore Manager

Original Name : Darryl Cox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bookstore Employee

Original Name : Dipak Pallana

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rob

Original Name : Stephen Dignan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wife in Motelroom

Original Name : Julie Mayfield

Gender : Female

Character Name : Husband in Motelroom

Original Name : Don Phillips, Jr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carmen

Original Name : Anna Cifuentes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anita

Original Name : Melinda Renna

Gender : Female

Character Name : Man in Bar

Original Name : Richard Reyes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man outside Bar

Original Name : Julio Cesar Cedillo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rowboat

Original Name : Tak Kubota

Gender : Male

Character Name : Motel Manager

Original Name : Jill Parker-Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maid

Original Name : Nena Smarz

Gender : Female

Character Name : Freezer Guy

Original Name : Héctor García

Gender : Male

Character Name : Freezer Guy

Original Name : Daniel R. Padgett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cop

Original Name : Russell Towery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cop

Original Name : Ben Loggins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Detective

Original Name : Linn Mullin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl at Psych Hospital (uncredited)

Original Name : Antonia Bogdanovich

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bob's Date

Original Name : Amanda Welles

Gender : Female

Character Name : Little Girl (uncredited)

Original Name : Jordan Elliott

Gender : Female

Reviews

Len Smith

@robotseinfeld

2022-06-15

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.