Even if Bottle Rocket had no merits of its own, it would be worth watching to see the beginning of what I hope will be a long and lasting working relationship--that of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson (and Luke).  Like Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, their follow-up films, Bottle Rocket is a wonderful mix of deranged humour and quiet sadness.  The drama always stops just short of heartbreaking, and the comedy just short of slapstick, leaving us only with a bunch of characters we care about, and their crazy, messed up lives.