Wes Anderson’s first feature film will catch you off-guard if you’re not in the Anderson spirit. Like all of Anderson’s movies, Bottle Rocket is not so much about what’s happening, but who’s making things happen.

The focal character is Dignan (Owen Wilson), a naïve, insecure, and seriously misguided guy whose greatest dream is to be a criminal. Aided by Anthony (Luke Wilson), who has just finished a stay in a mental hospital and Bob (Robert Musgrave), who still struggles with being bullied by his older brother (Andrew Wilson), Dignan goes about making plans to make a living by robbing businesses.

The script, written by Wilson and Anderson, is sharp, witty and subtly but consistently funny. Not a script so much of one-liners and punch lines, Bottle Rocket pulls out humor in the way these characters respond to each other. They’re all so clueless about the world around them, their futile pursuits at making a life for themselves is constantly amusing.

The trio successfully pull off a robbery Anthony’s parent’s house and then the bigger job of a local bookstore. Things begin to fall apart, however, as fugitives on the road. Anthony falls in love with a hotel maid, Inez (Lumi Cavazos), and Bob needs to go home because his brother has run into trouble.

Not everything is fully resolved by the film’s end, but the characters do mature. And we have fun in the process. Filmed with an understated flair and style, Anderson serves up a joyful little slice of life.