BOTTLE ROCKET
A film review by Zak Forsman
Copyright 1997 Zak Forsman
Crime Pays
Directed by WES ANDERSON Written by WES ANDERSON and OWEN WILSON
OWEN WILSON as Dignan LUKE WILSON as Anthony ROBERT MUSGRAVE as Bob ANDREW WILSON as Future Man LUMI CAVAZOS as Inez JAMES CAAN as Mr. Henry
In 1993, a group of young independent filmmakers submitted a black and white short film titled, BOTTLE ROCKET for consideration at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. It was accepted. There, the short film caught the eye of Texas-based screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson. Two years later, we have the feature-length version of the same film produced by James L. Brooks. This is every struggling filmmaker's dream.
BOTTLE ROCKET, dubbed as "Reservoir Geeks", is one of the funniest and most originally written films I've seen in a long while. We follow Anthony played by Luke Wilson who is just getting out of a voluntary hospital for what he describes as 'exhaustion'. From there he re-teams with Dignan and Bob, his two old friends. I really would hate to ruin a single scene if you haven't watched this film yet. All I will tell you is that nothing leads where you'd expect it, the characters are simple, charming and wonderful to watch, and the film has a great little ending that will leave you with a smile on your face (and maybe some sympathy in your heart).
The film was written by its director, Wes Anderson and by Owen Wilson who plays the character, Dignan. These guys bring to the screen a film-sense all their own. The characters were certainly written to play for laughs, but each is portrayed honestly and we almost begin to respect them for how simply they approach their lives. There is also a great last line that gives us a sense of closure--that things have come full circle. I'd like to see this film up for Best Original Screenplay. It won't be.
The film was directed in the same manner by which it was written, which is to say, it presents the visual imagery under the same mindset that produced the dialogue. Half of what you laugh at in this film comes from visual cues expressed by the director, Wes Anderson. He knows what his actors are capable of and how to send an idea about a scene through use of the camera, shot selection and editing. His film is kinetic, it feels alive. Also, he has composed an ending sequence for this film that will be in my memory forever. I was actually a little moved by it.
Every single person in this film was casted perfectly, perhaps because the characters were written for them. If you think about the fact that three brothers and a few friends (excluding James Caan) comprise the cast, it is even more impressive. They really have to be seen to be believed. But then, the writing lends itself to the character quirks that make them seem more human. My favorite line happens when Future Man has been making fun of Dignan's jumpsuit. Anthony tries to cheer him up by saying, "Don't worry about it, Dignan. Did you see what he was wearing?" And Dignan replies sheepishly, "Yeah. It was pretty cool."
In closing, if you enjoy films such as THE HUDSUCKER PROXY or RAISING ARIZONA, you will love BOTTLE ROCKET. And the choice of title is pretty interesting, too. The idea of a bottle rocket--it's something vivacious and alive, and prone to violence, but the thing is really relatively harmless. This describes Dignan perfectly. You've got to see it.
Writing **** Directing **** Acting ****
Ratings are based on the four-star system.
Zak Forsman, filmmaker
Swan Pictures Independent http://www.epix.net/~swan/ swan@epix.net
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