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Friends Anthony and Dignan, played by brothers Luke and Owen Wilson respectively, serve as the central characters of the film, while third friend Bob exists on the periphery of their three-man “team”. Anthony is a twenty-something who checked himself into a mental facility upon the realization that he was completely miserable with the state of his life and utterly hopeless. His character is recovering gradually from his bout with depression, but is actually a closet idealist, as illustrated by his love-at-first-sight affection for Inez, the Paraguayan maid of a hotel where the three stay. Dignan is a fundamentally insecure guy who is prone to jealousy and covers up for it by being extremely energetic and over-the-top. He desperately wants to be the mastermind of the group, but his ridiculous schemes hold nothing but empty promises that usually end up fucking things up for one or more of the participants. Bob has been beat up and degraded by his older brother, played by Andrew Wilson, for his entire life and desperately wants to be a member of the group, but his paranoia leads him to suspect the other two of wanting to cut him out of the deal at any given opportunity. His is drafted as the group’s getaway driver, as he is the only one that owns a car.

The themes of Bottle Rocket are largely consistent with the hallmarks of Wes Anderson’s works, but with a few key differences. While the main characters are all damaged and fragile in their own way, the film lacks the sense of tragedy displayed in many of Anderson’s other films. However, sympathy for the characters is by no means diminished, as the woes that befall them are ultimately much more grounded than the extreme absurdity of later efforts like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Of course, that’s not to say that the plot doesn’t have it’s moments of delightful absurdity. As to the film’s sense of humor, Anderson’s use of understatement is masterfully intact. In one the opening sequences Luke Wilson explains to a sorority-type girl the powerful motivations and realizations that lead him to seek professional help, only for her to respond, “you’re really complicated aren’t you?” He replies, “I try not to be.” One other thematic constant of Anderson’s films that makes an appearance is the respected middle-aged male who turns out to be a complete fraud. Here the character is James Caan’s Mr Henry, who is the owner of the lawn and landscaping service that serves as the cover for the criminal organization from which Dignan draws all of his inspiration. Interestingly, one Anderson staple missing from this story is the prevalence of smoking, and an escapist embrace of drug use.

In terms of the cinematography and production style employed in Bottle Rocket, it’s much the same story in that many of the established Anderson elements are present, but not all. Anderson’s pension for unique staging was prevalent from the first scene, and he utilizes close-ups and quick cuts throughout the film in order to create a playful and dynamic rhythm to all of the sequences. This sense of rhythm and style is further buoyed by Anderson’s oddball music selection, which is just a sharp here as ever. Missing is the vivid pastel color palette of his later work, but this can be most easily explained by a comparatively small budget. However, fear not, as the use of Futura Bold font for all credits is present and accounted for. (sigh of relief)

Bottle Rocket is a refreshing look back to the Wes Anderson of yesteryear, and a satisfyingly entertaining romp to boot. Many critics of Anderson have felt that his films have become progressively more bizarre since Rushmore, and that his characters have become less and less relatable. While this criticism is probably fair, I have continued to be a fan of his work through last year’s Darjeeling Limited, and will continue to be until some point in the future when he actually goes fucking crazy. And even then I’ll probably still give him a chance. Bottle Rocket is not only Anderson at his most unfiltered, but perhaps his most human as well, and is therefore an easy recommendation to any fan of quality cinema.

Well, allow me to start with my earliest recollections of your career. Like many kids of my generation my first introduction to the quirky Pittsburgh native named Jeff Goldblum was as Dr. Ian Malcolm in 1993’s Jurassic Park. I listened Dr. Malcolm’s take on chaos theory without knowing exactly what he was saying, but even as a child I knew. I knew there was something very strange about that weird actor Jeff Goldblum.

Via the continued successes of Independence Day and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, you were able to cement yourself in my young mind not as just some oddball supporting character type, but as a “big time actor”, or at least what I understood one to be. Your quirks played very well against more sobering cast members, and provided for some very subtle humor that is both hard to write, and even harder to fake.

Later, with the the advent of your iMac marketing campaign in the late 1990s, your presence had shifted away from just my favorite summer movies, to an almost omnipotent state by which you were now invading my living room as well. These commercials not only showcased that endearing wit and quirkiness that I had already grown to love, but they also confirmed a sneaking suspicion that had begun to mount after seeing your successive movies..... and that was that you were in real life just as strange as the characters you portrayed on screen. A very weird man indeed.

And then the dreamed died. Or so i thought. You see, I was old enough to know that with the exception of your movies being shown on TV, that your visibility had seemed to completely disintegrate. Coincidentally, this was also about the time I became aware of 1986’s The Fly, of which I was quite disgusted. To this day I still can’t shake off that last sequence where Geena Davis blows your brains out with a shotgun. Thanks for that.

However, thanks to Saturday Night Live (which for our younger readers is a program that used to be funny), we were provided with at least one bit for the Jeff Goldblum highlight reel, by way of Will Ferrel’s hilarious rendition of Cubs announcer Harry Caray.

Despite briefs moments of Goldblum gold through the beginning of the new millennium, I once again found myself disgusted with the lack of presence of a figure who had always proved to be so entertaining throughout my childhood. And then, in 2004 it seemed that the skies had opened up and God was smiling down on us all. Reintroduced to you by your role in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I marveled not only at the fact the all the subtle quirkiness seemed to still shine through after all those years, but that the sense of humor seemed to have matured with me to an intriguing new level. With Life Aquatic I thought to myself, “Jeff Goldblum fits perfectly into the tone of this movie,” and I was excited at the prospect of not only a continuation in that vein, but of a second golden age for one of my favorite actors.

But atlas, perhaps it wasn’t in the cards. I waited and waited for the amazing follow up role to match the greatness of Life Aquatic, but it didn’t come. And then, in 2007, NBC brought me “Raines”, and I thought, “OK, this isn’t what I wanted for Goldblum, but I’ll give it a shot.” Seven episodes in it was canceled, and so were my dreams. You deserved better.

However, I know that somewhere Jeff Goldblum is still out there. From time to time I still see him on classic appearances on shows like Conan that leave me in stitches, and it for this reason, that I would like to humbly put forth a few points of advice for one of the greats. Jeff, the country needs you:.

Acerola, or “Ace”, is a husband and father in the body of a scared eighteen year old boy. He misses his childhood and fears the immense responsibility and expectation being thrust upon him. Neither he nor his best friend Laranjinha ever had a father, but Laranjinha is especially haunted by the absence of the father whose name he doesn’t even know. The fact that neither boy has a father is endemic of the gang warfare culture in which they live. The women are left to stay at home while the men kill each other in the streets. Ace and Laranjinha are unsure and reluctant young men in a slum where ever other kid their age is pointing a gun at someone. When a power struggle erupts between gang boss Midnight, who happens to be Laranjinha’s cousin, and a top lieutenant, the two find themselves in the midst of a deadly game of king of the hill that will leave no family unscathed.

City of Men differs from City of God both stylistically and in narrative structure. City of God was done in a faux-documentary style, shot with handheld cameras and utilizing lots of quick cuts. This had the dual effect of making the action both visceral and eerily detached. The style fit the narrative quite well as it focused much more on the evolution on the gang culture over the course of several generations. In comparison, City of Men is structured in a much more traditional narrative centered around the friendship of Ace Laranjinha, with the cinematography structured likewise. Additionally, the sheer nihilistic brutality of the violence in City of God has been toned down a bit for City of Men, as is the level of drug use, which is virtually nonexistent in City of Men. It’s strictly personal preference, but I have to say that I prefer the style of City of God, simply due to the frightening degree of realism for which it allows. Regardless, both films are alike in that they harbor absolutely zero sympathetic or romantic notions toward death. There are no epic gun battles here. People get shot. People die. That’s it.

Any minor gripes do not subvert the fact that this film is a rich and entertaining experience that is very much worth your time. The characters in this film are dealing with all the same stresses and pains of day-to-day life and growing up, with the added intensity that every time they leave their house they risk the danger of catching a stray bullet. If you enjoyed City of God, you will enjoy this movie. If you haven’t seen either, see City of God first, then this, and chances are you’ll enjoy the hell out of both of them. If you’re hungry for even more, you can also track down the acclaimed TV series which is available stateside on DVD.