On the run from Johnny Law… ain’t no trip to Cleveland.

Anthony (Luke Wilson) doesn’t have much going for himself after his self-imposed stay at the psyche ward, that is until his ambitious mess of a friend Dignan (Owen Wilson) convinces him to take on the romantic life of the career criminal. Dignan’s got it all figured it out, a 75-year road map of their life in crime. They’ve got guns, they’ve got masks, they’ve even got a car and a guy to drive it — none of them have ever robbed a place before, but that part can’t be that hard to figure out, can it?

The debut feature for brothers Luke and Owen Wilson as well as writer/director Wes Anderson, BOTTLE ROCKET may not have the same distinct look as Anderson’s later films, but it certainly shows off his skill with jokey dialogue and absurd characters, as well as his soft-spot for well-meaning screw-ups.

Part of Nitehawk’s January THE PERFECT CRIME brunch series.