Since Wes Anderson's newest comedy, The Darjeeling Limited, was only released at select theaters this week, I took it upon myself to see his first feature-length film.
Bottle Rocket, written by Anderson and Owen Wilson, is the story of Anthony (Luke Wilson), who after a stint at a mental hospital following a breakdown, teams up with his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) to live out the dream of becoming professional criminals. They find out however, that crime doesn't pay -- quite literally.
This film has everything you might expect from watching Anderson's more recent movies: extremely subtle humor (thanks in part to Owen Wilson's writing credit), a strange but brilliant soundtrack and, of course, Kumar, the lovable Indian man who has some of the funniest lines in the film.
Owen Wilson gives a great performance as the head of the gang, who although dreams of starting a crime gang and pulling off big jobs, doesn't have the brains to come up with a solid plan. His straight-faced delivery and off-the-wall robbery plans, which sometimes involve dynamite and helicopters, kept a constant smile on my face, even if they didn't result in full out laughs.
Another standout performance, which I was surprised to see, was James Caan as the local crime boss and prankster Mr. Henry. Caan pulls off the comedy as well as being somewhat intimidating and piqued my interest in seeing him in more comedic roles.
Although the movie as a whole is entertaining, there are some parts that stand out and make you realize it was Anderson's first film. Sometimes, within the mix of Anderson's specialty of subtle humor, there are attempted one-liners that seem more forced than clever.
Also, maybe in an attempt to make the film more artsy, Anderson decided on a few slow motion scenes that feel very out of place. Even though they might have been a good thought at the time, the final look just didn't flow with the rest of the movie.
Overall, the film kept me entertained and laughing throughout. It was an obvious first film for Anderson, but provided the launching pad for his future movies. Any fan of The Royal Tenenbaums or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will not be disappointed with Bottle Rocket.
Like Anderson's other films Bottle Rocket might not be for everyone, and your Anchorman-quoting friends might not let you pick another movie for a while after they see it. However, if deadpan humor and intelligent filmmaking is your cup of tea, then check it out.
