"Bottle Rocket was Wes Anderson's first feature film. The film was co-written by Anderson and actor Owen Wilson. Wilson and his younger brother, actor Luke Wilson, starred in the film, along with James Caan and Robert Musgrave. The film was the debut feature for both Wilson brothers, Owen and Luke, and also included eldest brother Andrew, who appeared as Future Man.

The movie was a commercial failure but launched Anderson's career by drawing attention from critics. Director Martin Scorsese later named Bottle Rocket one of his top-ten favorite movies of the 1990s.

The film centers on a group of aimless young men from a wealthy Texas community. As the movie opens, Dignan (Owen Wilson), "rescues" Anthony (Luke Wilson) from a voluntary mental hospital where he has been staying for self-described "exhaustion". Dignan has an elaborate escape planned and has developed a 75-year plan, which he shows to Anthony on the escape bus. The plan is to pull off several heists and then meet up with "Mr. Henry", a landscapist and part-time criminal known to Dignan."