Guilty Pleasures: Bottle Rocket
Filed under: Comedy, DIY/Filmmaking, Guilty Pleasures
It was during a playwriting seminar at the University of Texas at Austin where Wes Anderson first met Owen Wilson. In 1992, Owen brought along his brother Luke and the three created a 16mm short film called Bottle Rocket. The short, which can be viewed online (in very poor quality), caught the attention of one James L. Brooks. The producer loved Bottle Rocket so much he helped bring the project to Columbia Pictures, where it was then expanded into a feature film. Luckily for us, though unknown actors at the time, Owen and Luke Wilson were able to remain in the lead roles.
For those of you who have never seen nor heard of the film, pic tells the story of Dignan (Owen) and Anthony (Luke), two bumbling wannabe thieves determined to take their newfound career to the next level. Anderson has said the original script (which he co-wrote with Owen Wilson) was 275-pages long. Seeing as how Bottle Rocket is all about the dialogue between characters, I can see how that may have happened.
Why is this is a guilty pleasure? Well, it's weird, but most people I come across don't like Bottle Rocket. In fact, they hate it ... and I'm not sure why. Also, being Wes Anderson's first film, Rocket usually falls into the category of annoying younger brother to Anderson's second film, Rushmore. However, I love Bottle Rocket, so much I would place it among my top 15 of all time. Crazy, right? The cocky, moronic Dignan is, by far, Owen Wilson's greatest role. While its dry comedy may not be for everyone, Bottle Rocket is definitely a fun film to watch, if only to see how Anderson and the Wilson boys got their start.
Note: Those of you in and around New York City can check out a free outdoor screening of Bottle Rocket this August 1 at the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-26-2006 @ 4:00PM
bgdc said...
After Tenenbaums this is my favorite Wes Anderson/Owen Wilson film. I wish Wilson would stop making craptastic Frat Pack films (Wedding Crashers, You Me and boredom) and get back to writing flicks with Anderson.
Dignan's a superb character - Wilson's best and second only to his work in The Minus Man.
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7-26-2006 @ 4:36PM
Kurt said...
Very strange, I had never heard of "Bottle Rocket" until I stumbled upon the Steely Dan website earlier and read an interesting/funny letter to Luke Wilson about Owen Wilson's involvement in "Dupree". They refer to "Bottle Rocket" in the letter. Read it: www.steelydan.com/heyluke.html. Now this entry about it. Very strange.
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7-26-2006 @ 4:39PM
Bob said...
Love that movie. My friends and I still say "ca caw ca caw".
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7-26-2006 @ 4:47PM
Nick said...
Are you kidding? This is one of my favorite movies of all time! (Probably about #20 or so)
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7-26-2006 @ 5:51PM
Scaramanga said...
"Guilty Pleasure?" Bottle Rocket is a solid film that is adored by many... 'XXX' with Vin Diesel is a "Guilty Pleasure," but I wouldn't think to call 'Bottle Rocket' one, especially on a 'movies' blog.
"Gotta get me one of these jumpsuits!"
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7-26-2006 @ 6:16PM
josh said...
I think PARTS of this movie are stupendously great. but other parts just don't work as well. all of the "heist" parts, in particular, are belly-laugh funny.
it suprises me to hear that there was a 275 page script, though... i have never seen the original short, but this movie always felt like it was a great short that just didnt have enough material for a full 90 minutes... like many other movies i've seen that started as shorts.
either way, this isn't really a GUILTY pleasure... maybe a quirky pleasure.
rushmore is still my fave of his films.
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7-26-2006 @ 9:43PM
W. A. Wilson said...
Guilty pleasure my ass!
On Ebert's best films of the 90's show, his special guest, Martin Scorcese, picked this as one of the best films of the decade.
Martin Friggin' Scorcese!
Just where exactly are you encountering these "most people" that you "come across"?
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7-26-2006 @ 9:53PM
Erik Davis said...
Perhaps we simply hang in different circles, but I've found myself defending Wes Anderson on a number of occasions. Let's be realistic here, not everone gets Anderson's humor. For example, my wife hates the man, hates his films and finds nothing at all funny about Bottle Rocket.
Of course, I'm not basing this entire thing on just my wife here -- I really have met several people who dislike this film, mainly because they don't get it. But that's me. These are the people I encounter. And yes, it boggles my mind because the film is pure genius.
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