Bottle Rocket
Movie, 1996, The '90s, Set in Amateur thieves in Texas
Bottle Rocket is #1 of 13 in release order and #1 of 13 in chronological order in the Wes Anderson.
The story
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.
Bottle Rocket recap
Bottle Rocket (1996) follows two aimless Texas friends who decide to become professional thieves using a 75-year plan drawn up in a notebook. Dignan (Owen Wilson) springs Anthony Adams (Luke Wilson) from a voluntary psychiatric unit, and the two practise by burgling Anthony's own family home. They recruit Bob Mapplethorpe (Robert Musgrave), the only person they know with a car, and rob a bookstore for a small take. Hiding out at a motel, Anthony falls for Inez (Lumi Cavazos), a Paraguayan housekeeper who speaks little English, and quietly leaves her most of their cash, which splits the friends up. Dignan later joins the gang of Mr. Henry (James Caan), a landscaper and part-time crook, and talks Anthony and Bob into a safe job at a cold storage plant. Wes Anderson directs from a script he wrote with Owen Wilson, expanding their 1992 short. This is Anderson's first feature and the start of his career.
Bottle Rocket ending explained
Bottle Rocket ends with Dignan in prison after the cold storage heist collapses. The safecracker cannot open the safe, Bob fires a gun by accident, and Dignan stays behind to help a stricken accomplice and is caught. Meanwhile Mr. Henry has emptied Bob's house of its furniture; the job was cover for robbing them. Anthony and Bob visit Dignan, who pretends to launch an escape before admitting he is joking, then notes that Anthony was once in the hospital and now he is the one locked up. There is no sequel.
Post-credits scenes
No. Bottle Rocket has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Bottle Rocket
Bottle Rocket is streaming on Sundance Now and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes 86%
Where it fits
Cast
- Luke Wilson as Anthony Adams
- Owen Wilson as Dignan
- Robert Musgrave as Bob Mapplethorpe
- Lumi Cavazos as Inez
- James Caan as Mr. Abe Henry
- Andrew Wilson as John "Future Man" Mapplethorpe
- Teddy Wilson as Hector Mapplethorpe
- Donny Caicedo as Rocky
- Ned Dowd as Dr. Nichols
- Jenni Tooley as Stacy Sinclair
- Shea Fowler as Grace
- Kumar Pallana as Kumar
Directed by Wes Anderson.