‘Bottle Rocket’ explodes with joy

The Criterion Collection has been good to Wes Anderson. Over the years, the studio has released meticulously crafted DVDs of his films “Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou,” each time paying tribute to the writer-director’s particular brand of off-kilter yet earnest filmmaking. Now there is a fourth DVD to add to that list.

“Bottle Rocket” ($40), Anderson’s first feature and the one that launched his career and those of his buddies Owen and Luke Wilson, arrived this week in a director-approved special edition that gives this often overlooked indie gem the respect it deserves.

As noted in this DVD’s solid special features, “Bottle Rocket” was not initially well-received by audiences. After watching this beautifully remastered 1996 film, to be followed on Dec. 16 with a Blu-ray version (also $40), it’s hard to understand why.

Following a trio of buddies as they attempt a series of increasingly ludicrous burglaries, “Bottle Rocket” unfolds a bit slowly. But its cast of eccentric, aimless characters, especially Owen Wilson’s Dignan, are undeniably likable, and Anderson’s direction is remarkably assured for a Texas native suddenly plunked smack into the movie business.

As most Criterion releases do so well, this two-disc edition uses its bonus material to tell viewers the full story of how the film came together, from its early days as a Sundance Film Festival short to the lengthy, occasionally bumpy years spent in development.

The strongest features are the 25-minute making-of featurette, which includes interviews with Anderson, the Wilsons, producer James L. Brooks and costar James Caan; the original black-and-white short that inspired the movie; the 11 deleted scenes; and a thoroughly engaging commentary track recorded by Anderson and Owen Wilson earlier this year. (During the audio commentary, Wilson confesses that he stole one of his lines of dialogue -- “It ain’t no trip to Cleveland” -- from an episode of “Miami Vice,” which prompts Anderson to describe his attempt to re-create another moment from “Miami Vice” in his upcoming film, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.”)

A less exciting bonus is the semi-pretentious feature called “The Shafrazi Lectures,” in which New York gallery owner Tony Shafrazi waxes poetic about the artistry behind various frames of the film.

The DVD also comes with a couple of special touches that have become Criterion standards: menu screens decorated with exceptionally detailed illustrations and a booklet featuring essays by Brooks and Martin Scorsese, who lauds “Bottle Rocket” as a “picture without a trace of cynicism.” The same could be said for this special-edition set, which, like the Anderson DVDs that preceded it, is filled with pure, simple cinematic joy.

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