Back in June I watched Bottle Rocket for the first time knowing it was a film many loved, but considering I am not much of a Wes Anderson fan I expected very little – which is to say I expected to dislike it. For the most part I am relatively neutral on Anderson’s movies; I neither like or dislike them and for the most part could just do without the majority of them altogether. I have never been able to finish The Royal Tenenbaums, I just couldn’t get into that movie. Rushmore and The Life Aquatic are relatively harmless and I never watched The Darjeeling Limited since even Anderson fans didn’t seem to like that film too much. Bottle Rocket, however, is a completely different story and Criterion’s Blu-ray release is a phenomenal effort well worth the dollar. It’s filled with special features to excite any fan of the film and even gave me a little bit of further insight as to why this is the one Anderson film I like more than the others.
Telling the story of three young misfits, Bottle Rocket centers on Dignan (Owen Wilson), Anthony (Luke Wilson) and Bob (Robert Musgrave) as they set out to rob a bookstore in an effort to impress Mr. Henry (James Caan) so they can get in with the big man and make a big score. Of course some things work out and others don’t. Bob steals his car, Anthony falls in love and Dignan… well, Dignan is someone you have to meet for yourself and make up your own mind as to how his story ends.
Bottle Rocket, however, is not for everyone. It’s one of those quirky films that falls flat for most, but it has made its mark thanks to the few that have caught on to its subtle humor and endearing story. This isn’t your typical comedy and it certainly won’t appeal to audiences that rely on genital gags seen in such low rent humor as Step Brothers. The characters occasionally do stupid things, but they aren’t necessarily stupid. This is a comedy that depends on the second line in a scene rather than the first. The punch lines aren’t as obvious as they are in today’s comedies and are sometimes spoken under someone’s breath. You’ve got to be paying attention because it won’t be a bare ass serving as your joke as much as it may be an offhand comment such as, “Bob’s gone! He stole his car!” and “There, you see the star is me, right there, and I’ll be in there. The X is Anthony. Bob, you’re the zero out here in the car.” Subtle, but if you are in tune with the flick it’s hilarious.
The Criterion Blu-ray edition not only presents the film in a much needed restored version that makes it look as if it was made yesterday as well as adds features which the original Sony release didn’t have. To top it all off, the interviews are new and nothing is recycled.
There is a new audio commentary with Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson as they chat over a teleconference line with Owen in Florida and I am not sure of Anderson ever said where he was. Early on neither of them initially remembers all that much about the film they made 14-or-so-years-ago, but as things move along more and more bubbles to the surface. Owen reveals how the “ain’t no trip to Cleveland” line came from “Miami Vice” and Anderson uses it to describe a scene in his upcoming animated feature The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which will attempt to duplicate a different scene from “Vice”. He describes the scene in detail and you can be assured I will be looking for it. Also, later in the commentary Anderson mentions how he may have been the one that accidentally left the gate open causing Owen’s dog, Teddy, to runaway… he quickly attempted to take the statement back as Owen was obviously concerned. Sure, it has nothing to do with the film directly, but it is just another piece to the Bottle Rocket puzzle.
The supplements continue with the original 13-minute black-and-white Bottle Rocket short which was submitted to and debuted at the 1994 Sundance film festival, the best part of which is an alternate opening conversation between Dignan and Anthony where instead of discussing fitness they argue over a plot from “Starsky & Hutch”. Speaking of alternate, there are 11 deleted scenes and while many of them had to be excised since they didn’t exactly mesh with the story of Bob’s illegal marijuana farm in his backyard, they are funny nonetheless. The best of the bunch gives detail on why there are police lights outside just after Dignan, Anthony and Bob successfully rob the bookstore and just before they go “on the lam”. The scene shows Dignan accidentally leading the cops to Bob’s backyard “herb” garden and it would have been great in the film, but it just wouldn’t have worked with the story.
The making-of documentary is a nice addition, especially since it is brand new and doesn’t utilize generic interviews. The only two people from the main cast missing from the doc are Lumi Cavazos who plays Inez and Jim Ponds who plays Applejack. I don’t really mind the absence of Ponds, but it would have been cool to see Cavazos 12 years later and hear about her experience on the film. However, the main thing I got out of the feature was what I believe to be the reason I actually like this one Anderson film above the rest… James Brooks (Spanglish, “The Simpsons”). Both in this featurette and during the commentary I learned about many lines that were added to the film courtesy of Brooks and his involvement. After seeing the original short and what is described as a disastrous table read Brooks stayed on as producer and helped guide the production. Many of the lines he added are among the best in the film.
The storyboards are something I could really do without as flipping through images on a DVD/Blu-ray bores me to tears. The same goes for the behind-the-scenes photographs taken by Laura Wilson – just not interested. There is an anamorphic test included as Anderson had originally thought of filming in widescreen but later decided on 1.85:1 – again, not exactly an interesting addition.
Of the final two features, one is called “Murita Cycles” and is a 27 minute short by Barry Braverman about his father, Murray Braverman, and his Staten Island bike shop. Apparently the film was a source of inspiration for the Bottle Rocket short and Braverman directed the making-of doc on the disc, but beyond that knowledge I wasn’t too interested.
Finally we come to what appears to be something Criterion may be adding to more of their releases in the future (I am guessing here), which is “The Shafrazi Lectures, No. 1: Bottle Rocket”. This is a 10:30 feature in which New York art dealer Tony Shafrazi discusses his love for the film in an arty-farty kind of way as he has the film projected on the wall and he points out what he loves about a particular scene or he holds up a giant piece of paper to his side like a matador and discusses a specific scene as it plays silently beside him. It’s a strange piece and I had to look up Shafrazi since there weren’t any additional details about him accompanying the disc. For more on Shafrazi you can check out the homepage of his NYC gallery: tonyshafrazigallery.com.
The accompanying booklet includes an appreciation written by Martin Scorsese, which first appeared in “Esquire” and Owen Wilson even references in the commentary as well as a look at the “75 Year Plan” from the movie as well as a much longer-winded commentary on the film by James Brooks, most of which you already get from the special features.
Overall, I personally believe this is a must own for anyone that loves this film. The picture is damn near perfect and with all of Criterion’s releases getting director approval whenever possible there is no question Anderson is satisfied with how it looks and that it hasn’t been corrected beyond his original intentions. I noticed immediately the difference as the all red title screen shows up with the words “BOTTLE ROCKET” in black. I wish I could show you a few screen captures, but unfortunately – to my knowledge – there is no easy way to do that with Blu-ray releases.
As this is the first Criterion Blu-ray I have reviewed I will tell you they definitely have their shit together. The picture, as I have said is brilliant. The audio is DTS, of which there is none better in my opinion. But most of all, I love the menu system. Very few Blu-ray titles are taking advantage of what these menus offer. Not only does it provide an added level of interactivity but you are able to access the menu at all times, whether you are watching the movie or the features and when appropriate there are descriptions of the feature itself beyond what is already listed on the packaging. Finally, the audio commentary comes with a separate list of scene descriptions so if you are searching for a specific moment from the commentary you will have an easier time finding it. Some of it is overkill, but when you are shelling out the dollars for a Criterion release it is always nice to know they continue to do their best to make it worth every penny. If there is one thing missing I would have loved it if they had included the often referenced positive survey card from their disastrous screenings. I am not sure if Anderson still has it, but it sounds like it would have been a great inclusion.
NOTE: For my earlier commentary on this film click here.
