Bottle Rocket (dir. Wes Anderson)
Known for: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Moonrise Kingdom (2014)
What it’s about: Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, Anthony (Luke Wilson) joins his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) on a hare-brained series of crimes to impress Dignan’s former boss, Mr. Henry. With their pot-growing neighbor, Bob (Robert Musgrave), Anthony and Dignan pull the job and hit the road, where they encounter love interests and discuss their desire for the crime life.
Why it’s worth watching: If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, Bottle Rocket is fascinating to watch just to see how quickly he improves as a filmmaker from here to Rushmore, which came out only two years later, and The Royal Tenenbaums five years later. Aside from that though, the movie is fun and has that unique Anderson feel to it, and though it’s certainly not as well executed as Moonrise Kingdom or Grand Budapest, it just as efficiently draws smiles on the audience’s faces.