Bottle Rocket

Release Year: 1996

Director: Wes Anderson

Review: Digman is a man with a plan.  Owen Wilson's brilliantly imagined character is an odd sort of person.  He is an absolutely insane, and yet completely harmless, guy who has no direction, too much time on his hands and who has seen too many caper films for his own good.  I focus on this character because this film is all about the characters.  Digman has drawn out a map of life for the next 75 years for himself and his friends, Anthony (Luke Wilson), and Bob(Robert Musgrave).  The modus operandi in that plan is the profession of burglar.  

This is not a heist movie.  At least not in the traditional sense.  The characters certainly don't put too much passion into it. It may play a part in the movie, and drives the plot, but its certainly not what the film is about. It is fitting that this is Wes Anderson's first film, as its a perfect map for his future projects.  He doesn't delve deep into any one subject, completely satisfying any one theme, but as a whole it is completely enjoyable.  The enjoyment is extracted from the character interactions and a general mood which is exuded throughout.  Each character is interesting enough to be enjoyable even if they don't do anything all that incredible.  It may not be the perfect film, but the mood projected is stimulating, making it a memorable watch.
Rating: 3.5/5