Bottle Rocket

"They're not really criminals, but everyone's got to have a dream."

1996 1h 31m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 1,244

ComedyCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony joins his friend Dignan, who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a harebrained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry.

“They're not really criminals, but everyone's got to have a dream.”

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Cast

Luke Wilson
Anthony Adams
Owen Wilson
Dignan
Robert Musgrave
Bob Mapplethorpe
Lumi Cavazos
Inez
James Caan
Mr. Abe Henry
Andrew Wilson
John "Future Man" Mapplethorpe
Teddy Wilson
Hector Mapplethorpe
Donny Caicedo
Rocky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wes Anderson, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Mothersbaugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Moritz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson and Robert Musgrave carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're not really criminals, but everyone's got to have a dream.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wes Anderson directs. Robert D. Yeoman behind the camera. Mark Mothersbaugh scores. David Moritz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
4Directed by Wes Anderson, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mark Mothersbaugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor David Moritz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson and Robert Musgrave carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They're not really criminals, but everyone's got to have a dream.".
9IMDB entry: tt0115734 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "robbery", "sibling relationship", "burglar", "motel".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert D. Yeoman
Original score: Mark Mothersbaugh
Editing: David Moritz
Production design: David Wasco
Costume design: Karen Patch
Makeup / hair: Manny Sarris Jr.
Sound: R. Russell Smith
Stunt coordinator: Russell Towery
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,000,000
Box office: $1,040,879
Return: 15% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Bottle Rocket (1996)

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Len Smith2022-04-26
★ 10/10
It's always staggering to me that Bottle Rocket is almost universally considered one of Wes Anderson's worst movies. Seeing the sub-70% rating on this website nearly broke my heart. And since there were no reviews of the film, I decided it was my duty as a Bottle Rocket stan to make a feeble attempt at evangelizing on its behalf. People complain about how twee and pretentious Anderson's movies come across. Yet, somehow, as one of his movies that largely sidesteps those pitfalls, Bottle Rocket usually gets shit on the most. Part of the "problem" is that there's a subtlety to the humor and the storytelling that is unmatched in Anderson's filmography. It's not as "mainstream quirky" as a Moonrise Kingdom, nor does it have the flashiness (relatively speaking) of a Rushmore or a Life Aquatic. It's much more than that -- to me, at least. It's a very low-stakes film, something which I always appreciate in my fiction. It's just a bunch of morons who want to be criminals. Why? Because they're morons and they have names like Dignan and Applejack and it's funny. You want a compelling plot, go watch The Royal Tenenbaums. You want to laugh at Owen Wilson dressing up in a banana-colored jumpsuit and riding around on a tiny motorcycle, Bottle Rocket's ya boy. Luke Wilson's Anthony is, ostensibly, the star of this film. His struggle with his vague mental illness really resonates with me because I, too, am nuts. Owen Wilson is the main attraction here, though. He brings a sort of low-key freneticism to Dignan that always makes me smile. Look at that little guy go. I honestly don't think Wes Anderson has ever written a better character, though I know that I'm, inexplicably, the only person in the world who thinks that. I don't know what I can say to make people like this movie more. It's good! It's fun and cute and sweet! It's very Wes Anderson without being too Wes Anderson. You know? I would think more people would appreciate that. If this were made today, Timothee Chalamet would undoubtedly be cast as one of the two leads, so let's be glad it lives forever encased in 1996 carbonite.
r96sk2025-07-08
★ 6/10
<em>'Bottle Rocket'</em> felt like it was running on fumes for me, the conclusion is an improvement on what procedes but it doesn't quite do enough to salvage my feelings towards this Wes Anderson feature directorial debut. With that noted, I didn't explicitly dislike it either. Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson make their acting bows, quite interesting that the brothers don't actually portray brothers; kinda refreshing to see, actually. Robert Musgrave and James Caan are also involved. Owen is the standout in my opinion, though the main trio are on a similar-ish level. It coulda done with more laughs, but that's obviously a personal thing - no doubt many will find it funny, just not me; albeit with a few chuckles scattered in there. It also isn't the most Wes Anderson-y film, with his signature MO evidently not quite fully developed yet (as expected, tbf).