Wes Anderson’s visual style has been thoroughly replicated on social media platforms, with a particular appreciation for films such as Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). In the renaissance of Anderson’s earlier features, Bottle Rocket (1996) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) consistently fall to the bottom of the pile, however.
Bottle Rocket (1996)
1992: The Beginning
Anderson’s first directorial effort was a short film named Bottle Rocket, 13 minutes long and shot in black and white in 1992. You can watch the whole thing online. It features many of the same actors that would make the final cut, such as Owen and Luke Wilson and Robert Musgrave.
Written by Anderson and Owen Wilson, they speak of having little money at the time and borrowing from their parents to fund the production. Friends from around Dallas made up the cast. It follows Dignan (Owen Wilson), Anthony (Luke Wilson) and Bob (Musgrave) as they plan various heists and robberies. They are thrilled with the outcome: $183 robbed from a video store, and the only consequence is that they are not to enter the store again.
1994: Sundance
Anderson and Wilson took the film to Sundance in 1994. What followed was something any struggling movie-business-hopeful could only dream of. James L. Brooks (co-creator of television hits such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi) caught the screening and agreed to finance a feature-length version.
There were struggles: Brooks remembers that the reading of the expanded script lasted so long it felt like “seasons were changing.” The script had to be rewritten. There were triumphs: they secured James Caan of Godfather fame, a boost in industry credentials amongst the otherwise unknown cast.
It took Anderson and Wilson around two years to complete the draft, working and semi-living in Brooks’s offices in L.A. Luke Wilson, also living out in L.A. while he waited for filming to start (for along with that would come his paycheck), passed the time with executive producer Richard Sakai, playing golf on the grounds.
1996: The Film Proper
The two-year process of rewriting Bottle Rocket resulted in Anderson’s 1996 debut of the same name. The plot does not deviate much from the original, but adds storylines such as Anthony’s romance with Inez (Lumi Cavazos) which is continually impeded by a language barrier, and the exploits of Mr. Henry (Caan), the ringleader of a gang. Their heists are numerous and their spoils greater than $183, but so are the consequences, as Dignan finds himself behind bars by the end of the film.
Is Bottle Rocket appreciated? Not nearly enough. It is an impressive debut, and worth a watch as part of the Anderson canon. It is dubbed a ‘cult classic’ (though one wonders if this label is used so often it has lost its meaning). Martin Scorsese liked it (your move, Film Bros). Walton Goggins, too (‘hot Ghoul‘ seal of approval, anyone?). Though, in the hundreds of ‘Wes Anderson Movies – Ranked!’ articles and YouTube videos, Bottle Rocket is often found near the bottom of the pile. The reasons given are usually something vague, like: “Oh, well, it’s the director’s first film…”
But that is what’s so great about Bottle Rocket, I think. It glimpses the sort of director Anderson could have been before he specialised in whimsy, saturated colour palettes, and dolly-shots. Dignan and Anthony, despite the strange circumstances they find themselves in, are probably the most conventional characters in the Anderson roster. They are grounded in a reality that the Anderson canon gets further away from, and the film serves as a nice reminder of Anderson’s origins.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Speaking of a departure from reality, here’s an example of where Anderson is thought to have strayed too far, but I’ll gladly fight Letterboxd consensus on this one. While it may be of a slower pace than most beloved Anderson efforts, the lulls in plot befit this maritime picture.
A story of redemption and revenge, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou follows oceanographer Steve Zissou (a loving parody of Jacques-Yves Cousteau played by Bill Murray) after his most recent documentary has been met with unfavourable reviews. His friend, Esteban, has been devoured by a ‘jaguar shark’; Zissou vows to avenge Esteban by hunting down the mysterious creature.
Enter Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), who believes he is Zissou’s son. It wouldn’t be a Wes Anderson film without tricky paternity making up some of the plot (“I hate fathers and I never wanted to be one,” says Zissou to Ned). Zissou takes him under his wing and makes him part of the crew of the Belafonte as they pursue the jaguar shark, accompanied by Jane (Cate Blanchett), a reporter who documents the voyage.
I won’t spoil the ending, but it will get you in the way that Anderson films do, with extraordinary hope finding its way to the forefront of the characters’ motivations, despite the preceding 90 minutes of hardship and loss.
What’s to Love That You Already Love?
Well, Bill Murray—staple Anderson patriarch—for one; Owen Wilson—staple Anderson misfit and frequent collaborator—for two. While we’re on the topic of Wilson, it might be of note that, at this point in Anderson’s career, The Life Aquatic was the first film on which Anderson had not worked with Wilson in the writing stages. Bottle Rocket was largely a 50/50 effort, and Wilson has stated that the shenanigans of Rushmore (1998) protagonist Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) were derived from both his and Anderson’s childhoods. More to the point, so too was the exceedingly popular The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) penned by the Anderson/Wilson partnership. I imagine it is clear where this is going. Did Steve Zissou drown (ba-dum) critically and commercially because Wilson left the writer’s room?
Probably not. I think people were looking for another Royal Tenenbaums (ironically, Anderson is now being accused of being too Wes Anderson, i.e. privileging style over substance and not showing much variety between films). I put the resistance to The Life Aquatic down to its slightly more meandering plot, and far more characters to keep track of, than was expected of an Anderson film.
Other than that, as is typical of Anderson’s directorial style, every scene is so beautifully staged that I had to stop myself from including the entire movie throughout this article in stills alone. There is that signature Anderson colour palette, symmetrical shots galore, and all the deadpan dialogue you could hope for (“You think you’ll want to change your name?” “Ned?” “No, not the Ned part… Unless you want to.”). Matthew Gray Gubler is there, too, in his first film appearance as ‘Intern #1’, if that floats your boat.
How it Differs
The pace is certainly slower than that of zany capers like The Grand Budapest Hotel or the restless, twitchy animation of Fantastic Mr. Fox. The setting was also, at this point in Anderson’s career, the most outlandish. There were, in Bottle Rocket, three young men in Arizona, bored and killing time. Rushmore is gospel for just about every precocious, oddball kid. The Royal Tenenbaums is grounded in contentious but ultimately caring family dynamics. Few viewers can relate to being an oceanographer, having their friend eaten by an elusive sea creature, or spending months at sea making a documentary avenging said friend (but what do I know?).
The soundtrack is also unique, but certainly one of the film’s highlights: Seu Jorge performing a selection of David Bowie’s songs, sung in Portuguese. It is perhaps a way of mediating the broadening of plot and setting with Anderson’s earlier features which were more contained. The soundtracks of previous Anderson features had been more varied, such as a selection of British Invasion bands providing the aural landscape of Rushmore, and The Royal Tenenbaums containing a range of artists and genres from the Mutato Muzika Orchestra, to Nick Drake, to songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas. As the Anderson universe expanded into international waters, a singular musician covering a singular artist allowed a familiar locus to remain for the viewer throughout the feature, a home comfort while we are lost at sea.
The Final Word
In those aforementioned ‘Wes Anderson Movies – Ranked!‘ articles, I perhaps exaggerated the dismissiveness of said ‘rankers’ towards Bottle Rocket—but it would be hard to overstate the low opinion in which The Life Aquatic is held among moviegoers, providing they have even watched it. But, since The Life Aquatic, Anderson has kept expanding his settings away from the comfort zones of hometowns and family homes, such as those in Bottle Rocket – and it seems to be working out pretty well for him.
Wes Anderson won his first Academy Award this year for his short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. He is currently filming his twelfth feature film, The Phoenician Scheme, slated for a 2025 release.
