Bottle Rocket [Marathon Review - Final Draft]

“We’re gonna get the best room in the house, guys. Crime DOES pay.”

-Dignan

            Today, Wes Anderson is well known as a highly stylistic, unique, and very independent filmmaker. Whether you love this distinct auteur or hate him, Wes Anderson’s films are undeniably experiences that are far more intellectually lively and engaging than the common summer blockbuster or romantic comedy. Even when one is working their way through a large collection of excellent independent films, those of Wes Anderson stick out and are both powerful and eye opening. He catches the audience’s attention with his heavily detailed style. Though some may say that ‘quirky would be the best word to describe his film, ‘stylistic’ is a far more appropriate word. Wes’ style can be seen in any piece of art that he puts himself to these days.

            Even so, despite how extraordinarily defined and shockingly unique Wes Anderson’s style is, it was not always so present in his films. Anderson’s stylistic development can be charted throughout his filmography. Each film of his is an interesting and important step in the creation of one of the greatest American filmmakers of all time. Studying Wes Anderson’s adaptation and evolution, from Bottle Rocket to The Grand Budapest Hotel, can be one of the most enjoyable journeys in an amateur film critic’s life, as I myself have discovered.

            Bottle Rocket, the first (or second, depending on whether you consider the short film on which this film is based as a step) of these steps, sees Wes’ basis for cast, his exceptional comedic style, and some very noticeable camera moves, all of which reflect onto his impressive future career. For these reasons and more, Bottle Rocket is not only one of Wes’ most important films, but a classic in its own unique fashion.

            The cast is stupendous. Owen Wilson, his brother Luke, Bob Musgrave and James Caan are all unsurprisingly incredible. This is not only Wes’ directorial feature debut, but the acting debut of several people. Wes Anderson has helped begin the careers of numerous actors throughout his own career, and he still does so today. Among the debuts in this film are Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Bob Musgrave, and Kumar Pallana. He later began the careers are Jason Schwartzman, Matthew Gray Gubler, and a large number of great child actors in Moonrise Kingdom.

            Owen Wilson’s performance is not only acknowledgeable for this reason, but it also is an example of what his roles for Wes Anderson would be like in the future. The character of Dignan is constantly trying to seize control of every situation, almost always sees himself in charge, or believes that he should be. The man sees himself so much in charge, that when Bob departs from his and Anthony’s company, he shouts in a panic, “He stole his car!” Nearly all of the roles that Owen Wilson plays in Wes Anderson films, excluding his role in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (in which case the character seems to have been written for the sole purpose of getting Wilson out of his comfort zone), have these same characteristics. This is even referenced in his incredibly brief and minor role in The Grand Budapest Hotel, where nearly every line of his is a command of some sort, as the stand-in concierge of the hotel.

            Yet another notable actor, who later acts in three other Anderson films, is Kumar Pallana. For some odd reason, the way he acts and his unique mannerisms make his performances irresistible and are a very unique kind of comedy. He delivers Anderson’s deadpan comedy with the same caliber of perfection as the true master of Wes Anderson performances, Bill Murray. Pallana’s best scene in Bottle Rocket is one where he is found in a cold storage area, hastily repeating that he has lost his touch when it comes to the art of safecracking. Dignan asks him if he ever had a touch to begin with.

            Wes Anderson does here what he also does with his next two films. He takes a common film setup, a normal, overused premise, and specializes and accentuates it with his own personal touch. In Bottle Rocket, he takes the youthful and ambitious heist setup. In Rushmore, he takes on the high school film, and as a result makes the best of them ever. And in The Royal Tenenbaums, he tackles the family drama. Each of these are higher quality editions of these common themes.

            The cinematographic firsts that Wes uses in this film are his first uses of the God’s eye view, his first lateral whip-pan, and his first tracking shots. Wes Anderson’s implementation of the symmetrical shot is heavy these days, and his most recent film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is nearly constructed entirely from that particular setup. But in his debut, it’s only to be sighted every now and then, and even then it’s not quite as plain and perfected as it is these days. Instead, in Bottle Rocket, the camera floats more freely, and this reaches an extreme in the establishing shot of Anthony’s sister’s school, as Anthony (and the camera) searches for his sister.

            In Anderson’s current films, his camera moves quite strictly, as if on some sort of graph or is restricted to a specific path. This nearly gives the illusion of a stage play. This is something that is especially noticeable in Rushmore, where the main character is in fact a playwright. The camera moves only directly left, right, forward, backward, forty-five degree diagonal ascents and descent as well as the beloved lateral whip-pans. He does not move loosely in the slightest, and everything is precisely planned out. The camera is extremely controlled in these films. But, while heavy blocking is clearly seen in Bottle Rocket, it is blocking of the acting and not so much of the camera. This does not subtract any quality from the film, but as stated in the opening paragraph of this review, is a step in Wes Anderson’s development.

            Wes Anderson’s feature film debut is fun, unique, and true to the excellent sensibilities and heart of classic Wes Anderson films. I submit that it can take some time to accept the tastes and preferences of Anderson that manifest themselves so proudly in his films. But it is my opinion that each and every one of Wes Anderson’s films is a masterpiece. Though this film may not be one of his best, it certainly lives up to all expectations and is quite a fun ride, with a story, script, cast, soundtrack and camera that together packs a true punch.