If you've come of age in the 21st century, then you know Wes Anderson as one of the most important indie directors. His oeuvre (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel) features quirky characters, scenes with centered action, and generally unusual plots. And he tends to cast Bill Murray in supporting roles.

His debut, 1996's "Bottle Rocket", is a little different. Bill Murray is absent. There are a few scenes with centered action, but the emphasis is certainly on the characters and plot. Owen and Luke Wilson play friends who plan a series of heists. I found the best part of the movie to be the whole sequence in the motel; the heists themselves came across as secondary to the events in the motel.

So, while it doesn't give that much of a hint of Anderson's later movies, "Bottle Rocket" is still an enjoyable one. James Caan's character struck me as an allusion to his most famous one. And Kumar Pallana accomplished something practically unheard of: he debuted in cinema when he was pushing eighty.

"Tell him I love him." Ha!

I have seen several of Wes Anderson's films and think they certainly are NOT for all tastes. Some I really liked--such as "The Royal Tannenbaums" and "Moonrise Kingdom". Some I did not like--such as "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou". But one thing these films all have in common is a very slow (glacially slow) pace and very, very quirky characters and dialog. Because of that, it might be worth seeing this film simply because there ain't anything like it! The film has a plot but doesn't really get to it until the last quarter of the film! Up until then, the plot just meanders very slowly and mostly consists of the Wilson brothers (Owen and Luke) doing lots of seemingly irrelevant things up until they go on a heist (such as a long and directionless road trip). This lack of direction certainly will annoy most viewers though the acting was quite nice. Eventually, the heist does take place and the film improves SIGNIFICANTLY. I liked how incredibly inept and stupid the robbery turned out to be. But, again, at times it also seemed to meander.

So did I like the film? Well, I am not sure. SOME of it I liked and much of it seemed in need of editing. At least it gave me a chance to see Anderson's and the Wilson brothers' first full-length film.

By the way, "Bottle Rocket" was originally a short film (1994). If you watch it, you can see a lot of the later feature and it is interesting to see how the short morphed into the full-length film.

Anthony (Luke Wilson) is released from a mental institution and hooks up with his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) who hatches a scheme to rob his former boss Mr Henry (James Caan). Anthony falls for motel maid Inez (Lumi Cavazos).

This is the first big screen attempt for director Wes Anderson. It has flashes of his unique style already. It has the camera work, some quirks and the music. However the story is a rambling mess of aimless people. While the group of friends have some quirks, they're not weird enough to be funny. The Wilson brothers are showing their charismatic banter. It's a charming indie where everybody is trying their best and having a bit of fun.