Bottle Rocket

Name: Bottle Rocket
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Released: February 21, 1996
Duration: 91 min
Rating: 67
Cast: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson

1996

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 177 Ratings

See All

8.4

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8.4	Your Score
8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 177 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Bottle Rocket

Now Playing: Bottle Rocket

Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Releasing | Release Date: February 21, 1996 | R

Starring: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson

Summary: Three best friends attempt to escape their suburban boredom through a life of crime. But these bickering, bumbling thieves are no match for the local "godfather" who leads them into the biggest heist of their careers. [Sony Pictures]

Director: Wes Anderson

Genre(s): Comedy, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 91 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Dallas Observer Andy Klein

Its tone has elements of Jim Jarmusch and the Coen brothers but without Jarmusch's self-conscious artiness or the Coens' hip snottiness. Read full review

Steven Rea

This is a movie about friendship, about foolhardy endeavors that get your adrenaline going and make you feel life buzzing in your toes. Written with wit and concision and remarkable confidence, Bottle Rocket is a joyride worth taking. Read full review

Empire Kim Newman

In an era not exactly short of quirky bungled heist movies, Anderson and Wilson take an interesting tack – coming in late on lifelong relationships, and showing us the pay-offs to friendships and resentments that have been simmering for years. Read full review

Desson Thomson

A hilarious, inventive and goofy breath of fresh air. Read full review

Matt Noller

Anderson has a great deal of empathy for his charming band of fuck-ups, but the characters are thinly drawn, and Anderson's attempts to lend the story emotional weight, like giving Anthony a ludicrously one-dimensional love interest in South American housekeeper Inez (Lumi Cavazos), largely fall flat. Read full review

Janet Maslin

A mildly facetious tone limits Anderson's film to the lightweight, but the collective enthusiasm behind this debut effort still comes through. What's best about Bottle Rocket is not the laid-back pranks that inflate its story to feature length but the offbeat elan with which that story is told. Read full review

Barry Walters

Several times during this film, you wish you were a bottle rocket so you could explode out of your seat and leave this tedious mess behind. Read full review

SEE ALL 24 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

kleinfelter38

Oct 10, 2022

An absolute classic. It's one of the films in the Criterion Collection and it surely deserves to be.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

royalguy07

Jun 26, 2023

While not yet establishing his visual style, Wes Anderson manages to showcase his signature humor and writing with his debut feature. Bottle Rocket is fun and engaging from start to finish.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Thegodfatherson

Aug 5, 2013

BOTTLE ROCKET was a critical success when it was released in 1996 and launched the careers of a creative team that know comedy can be talky, subtle, character driven, and even heartbreaking at times. It's not the best Anderson-Wilson endeavor, but as the first it establishes central elementsBOTTLE ROCKET was a critical success when it was released in 1996 and launched the careers of a creative team that know comedy can be talky, subtle, character driven, and even heartbreaking at times. It's not the best Anderson-Wilson endeavor, but as the first it establishes central elements visible in all their films.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

DawdlingPoet

Nov 25, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie I believe was written while Owen (and Luke(?)) and Wes were at university together in Texas in the 1990s and is now seen as a cult comedy hit.

Bottle Rocket is all about three friends who team up to escape their boring lifes and pursuit a life of petty crime. This eventually leads to the local criminal 'head honcho' who's played by James Caan, spotting them and convincing them to carry out a large heist - but is it too much for them to handle and will they get away with it?

The movie starts with Anthony (played by Luke Wilson) getting out out of a psychiatric ward (which he stayed at due to suffering exhaustion), with his friend Dignans help (played by Owen Wilson), even though he could voluntarily leave, Dignan was keen to try and help him 'escape' so Anthony let him and after they leave, Dignan proudly explains to Anthony his 75 year plan, which documents exactly how their going to live this life of petty crime and get by. Of course there is alot of naivety there and things don't really work out as planned but its Dignans character that you really feel most intrigued by and interested in, in general (maybe im baised as a fan of Owens but I still feel that way). He tries so hard to believe that he has everything planned out and knows how to lead this semi fantastic life that will keep him and his friends going by ok and he clearly craves the responsibility of being the boss, where Anthony on the other hand is alot more dubious and unsure and tries to plan things more practically. Where Dignan is always the over optimist, Anthony is more the worrier but its in Dignans child like optimism and hope that he clearly has alot of belief in, that really makes the viewer feel for him. You worry that it won't be possible for him to carry out his plans and for everything to go just as planned in his 75 year plan and so the movie follows the three friends as they embark on the first stages of this plan... of course, as feared, not everything does go to plan but still Dignan comes across as the ever optimist, who tries to convince Anthony that they can overcome their problems and the three of them travel, staying at a motel for some time where Anthony falls for one of the motels maid, Ines, that happens to only properly speak Spanish, which is a problem considering that Anthony doesn't speak Spanish, so he gets a fellow motel employee to translate for him. This ends up causing problems where Dignan mistakenly gets the wrong message, put it that way!

There are definately some funny moments, again its pretty subtle comedy, as in all of Wes Andersons movies but it does definately have its moments. I thought the movie was in some ways pretty sentimental and idealistic I suppose you could say and I think if people had the faith in pursuing the life they want and believing in themselves like Dignan tries so hard to do in this movie, it would be a good thing. The characters in the movie are all fairly complicated and quirky and in a sense I suppose, thinking more negatively, you may feel as if it never really entirely 'gets off the ground', story wise but if you think about it afterwards, I think it works well enough. Its similar to Wes' other films with subtle messages and this particular film I thought was also quite sentimental and kind hearted, in a sense I suppose it has links to the great ol' American dream that they talk about (the general 'they') and the pursuit of some great life... of course you'll have to buy the movie to see if they manage to succeed with their planned life of petty crime and see what happens when their pushed into the heist... surely this is too much for them?

I quite enjoyed this movie, although it did get a bit slow in parts, I thought that the dialogue was particularly well thought out, with Dignan and Anthony having some pretty good quotes and of course the acting was good, this movie was a good starting place for the Wilson brothers, Bob Musgrave and as Wes' first film. Considering it didn't have a massive budget and it does have a slightly more independent film feel about it, which I think in a way adds to its charm, it works well. Again don't go in expecting lots of slapstick humour, think of it as a sort of a chronicle of a what happens to a small group of friends and one dreamer who believes he knows how to get through life in a slightly more unconventional way than normal... this is somewhat similar to other Wes movies with more sentimentality in it I feel and I do believe it is worth watching.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tokyochuchu

Jul 8, 2012

Bottle Rocket is Wes Anderson's first and weakest offering. The film isn't anywhere near bad, it's just that Anderson's skills as a director are only budding here instead of blooming (as they would be on the following Rushmore). Likewise, the writing is likable and features the sameBottle Rocket is Wes Anderson's first and weakest offering. The film isn't anywhere near bad, it's just that Anderson's skills as a director are only budding here instead of blooming (as they would be on the following Rushmore). Likewise, the writing is likable and features the same lightness of touch as the later films but isn't in the same league as The Royal Tenenbaums. Still, if you are a big Wes Anderson fan, Bottle Rocket makes for intriguing viewing.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

tonyGreen

Sep 9, 2011

The usual fare from Wes Anderson. This one has the same tone, the same themes as all his later films. Which is not neccessarily a bad thing. There are some good jokes here, and pretty high production values for an 'indie'. The film that started the Wilson brother's careers (Owen and Luke)The usual fare from Wes Anderson. This one has the same tone, the same themes as all his later films. Which is not neccessarily a bad thing. There are some good jokes here, and pretty high production values for an 'indie'. The film that started the Wilson brother's careers (Owen and Luke) and they do well in this. worth a look, especially for Wes Anderson fans… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

geewah

Jan 23, 2021

Where it started for a number of creative talents. Solid but not that great.
Wes Anderson's first and weakest effort.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 15 REVIEWS

44	#44 Best Movie of 1996
33	#33 Most Discussed Movie of 1996
47	#47 Most Shared Movie of 1996