Bottle Rocket

The DVD we received was defective. The color was off and the image kept going black. We couldn't watch it.

"Rushmore" was my first Wes Anderson film. I fell in love with that movie (I remember noticing about halfway through it that I literally couldn't get the smile off of my face), and I tracked this film down as a result.

When I first watched "Bottle Rocket", I thought it was an excellent (hilarious, surprising, brilliant, inspired) film, but one that obviously lacked the polish needed to propel it to "Rushmore" status. I hate to admit it, because it's so superficial and pedestrian, but it's true. Boy, was I wrong.

I think I realized how off base I was after I saw "The Royal Tenenbaums". I loved that movie, don't get me wrong. It was like "Rushmore" on crack. But I still felt like I'd eaten a whole bag of candy after I watched it.

Now I recognize that "Rushmore" and "Tenenbaums" (and "Life Aquatic", and "Darjeeling") suffer from a pedantic deliberateness that Anderson probably just couldn't afford here. I love all of those movies, but "Bottle Rocket" is just so much more sincere and immediate.

I sometimes wonder if the film holds the same allure for women as it does for men, just because so much of it revolves around male adolescent preoccupations (being on a "crew", firing guns, secret plans, fireworks). Any comments along those lines would be welcome and appreciated.

A little rough around the edges - not as refined or clever as some recent Anderson movies, but definitely a Anderson film. I recommend it for any fans...

"Why is that tape on your nose?" "Exactly!" Bottle Rocket seems to be a love it or hate it flick based on all the folks I've discussed the film with. This is a simple movie and a very funny one as long as you can appreciate humor delivered in the dialouge. To summarize it in one word, I go with "refreshing".

I love this movie so much that I actually use it as an experiment with new acquaintances. I'll let them borrow it and await their feedback. If they love it, I know there's a mutual appreciation for top-notch humor. If they don't, well I just don't understand their train of thought. I'm embarrassed to say how many times I've watched this but I ALWAYS catch something I had not noticed before! Martin Scorsese listed Bottle Rocket as the 7th best film of the 1990's. That's the decade, folks, not the year. Need I say more?

It's a movie about 3 loonies (people who have had mental problems and have been in and out of asylums) trying to be super thieves. They hatch out a plan to rob a store, end up stealing some petty cash and a bunch of books. They behave like they are big criminals and think its best for them to be on the run as they must be wanted by the police when the truth is no one cares about them. So the fun and joke is in that. Its kind of a situational comedy but it could have been a such a blast out comedy if the comedy angle had been taken up full swing. Instead of that the movie tries to be a sad love story, and a poignant character portrait in between the comedy bits. And also the directors and screen writes try to underplay the movie. They underplay the comedy - which is the very essential that this movie could have done a lot with. The movie makes makes try to be so understated and controlled when they could have gone all out at the comedy angle and it would have been hilarious. Instead we get a hotch potch part comedy, part poignant, and part love story. Luke Wilson stars in this film. He went on to star in the hilarious ultra laugh riot film "Idiocracy" a comedy by director Mike Judge - of "office space" fame.

regards, Vikram