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Bottle Rocket -
Wes Anderson's feature debut is a funny riff on Mean Streets that recalls the old joke, "how do you make God laugh? Make a plan." As misguided as old pals Anthony and Dignan are in theirs to stick it to the man, Anderson and crew manage to make them empathetic. Who would want to end up as a stuffed shirt bully like their would-be getaway driver's brother, Future Man, anyway? When their plan falls apart - I mean, how could anyone, not just Anthony, resist falling in love with Lumi Cavazos' charming maid, Inez - Anthony's dilemma of wanting to move on while maintaining his friendship is never not real...well, as real as it can be in Anderson's heightened version of reality. The soundtrack notwithstanding, his style is actually not as overt as it is in, say, The Grand Budapest Hotel. What we do get, though, reminded me of why I keep coming back to him from everything that happens during one hilariously disastrous heist to anything James Caan's eccentric landscaping lothario does. While it's a shame that Caan and Anderson did not work again, it's tempered by the fact that Bill Murray, who took up the slack by excelling in similar roles, never stopped working with him. As for just as frequent collaborator Owen Wilson, this movie would not work without him as Dignan.
This movie successfully reminds us, for better or worse, that even a life plan with as many contingencies as the one in Dignan's notebook is subject to change. It also reminds us that the few of us who are able to stick to their plans are not the kind of people who deserve to be so lucky. It is an impressive debut, but I would not put it on my short list of favorite Wes Andersons. Your mileage may vary on Luke Wilson, who I found to be a presence vacuum. Also, despite what trademark Anderson quirk we do get, I would not, unlike pretty much every other movie of his, describe the whole product as original. I still consider it a great movie, not to mention another reason why 1996 deserves to be called "the year of the independent film " If you need one more incentive, I'll add that Owen Wilson debuts his signature "wow" here.
Wes Anderson's feature debut is a funny riff on Mean Streets that recalls the old joke, "how do you make God laugh? Make a plan." As misguided as old pals Anthony and Dignan are in theirs to stick it to the man, Anderson and crew manage to make them empathetic. Who would want to end up as a stuffed shirt bully like their would-be getaway driver's brother, Future Man, anyway? When their plan falls apart - I mean, how could anyone, not just Anthony, resist falling in love with Lumi Cavazos' charming maid, Inez - Anthony's dilemma of wanting to move on while maintaining his friendship is never not real...well, as real as it can be in Anderson's heightened version of reality. The soundtrack notwithstanding, his style is actually not as overt as it is in, say, The Grand Budapest Hotel. What we do get, though, reminded me of why I keep coming back to him from everything that happens during one hilariously disastrous heist to anything James Caan's eccentric landscaping lothario does. While it's a shame that Caan and Anderson did not work again, it's tempered by the fact that Bill Murray, who took up the slack by excelling in similar roles, never stopped working with him. As for just as frequent collaborator Owen Wilson, this movie would not work without him as Dignan.
This movie successfully reminds us, for better or worse, that even a life plan with as many contingencies as the one in Dignan's notebook is subject to change. It also reminds us that the few of us who are able to stick to their plans are not the kind of people who deserve to be so lucky. It is an impressive debut, but I would not put it on my short list of favorite Wes Andersons. Your mileage may vary on Luke Wilson, who I found to be a presence vacuum. Also, despite what trademark Anderson quirk we do get, I would not, unlike pretty much every other movie of his, describe the whole product as original. I still consider it a great movie, not to mention another reason why 1996 deserves to be called "the year of the independent film " If you need one more incentive, I'll add that Owen Wilson debuts his signature "wow" here.