Napoléon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite is a king among nerds, a slack-jawed, mouth-breathing high school student who suffers the slings and arrows of perpetual ridicule, yet who gives as good as he gets when the treatment gets too rough. Luckily, Napoleon is far from alone in his nerddom. He has an older brother who wears buttoned-up short sleeve dress shirts and black-rimmed glasses, and whose social contact is limited mainly to people he meets in internet chat rooms. Napoleon's Uncle Rick is what might be called a "muscular nerd," a used-up, middle aged football player who dreams of his glory days in 1982 when he was just one play away from a career in the NFL and a life of fame and fortune, and who now spends his time hawking Tupperware products, selling miracle breast enhancement devices, and investing in time travel machines he finds in catalogues. Napoleon also befriends the school's newest nerd, a transfer student named Pedro, and tries to start up a romance with the shy and awkward Deb, who sheepishly goes door to door drumming up business for her studio that specializes in "glamour" photo shots for a decidedly unglamorous clientele.

Set in a small town in rural Idaho, "Napoleon Dynamite" is a quirky regional comedy that achieved phenomenal mainstream success at the American box office. Its appeal is in its low-keyed, understated look at a group of people that more of us probably identify with than we would like to acknowledge. This is a movie for anyone who has ever felt unattractive or unpopular, who just never quite "fit in" with the people who really counted, especially in those dark ages known as the "teen years." One can't help liking and rooting for these bizarre and eccentric individuals who are really just looking for the same love and acceptance that we all are.

Director Jared Hess, along with co-writer Jerusha Hess, never feels the need to exaggerate or overstate the comedy. It would have been easy for them to have turned this into another "Revenge of the Nerds," placing their characters in over-the-top predicaments and situations to appease audience expectations. Instead, they let the story develop subtly and gradually, making the film feel more attuned to real life in the process. It may seem like a contradiction in terms, but the writers achieve their humor through a kind of understated hyperbole that allows us to laugh with the characters rather than at them. These nerds may be nerds to the core, but they reflect the longings and doubts common to all of us at one time or another. As a result, "Napoleon Dynamite" is warm and humanistic where it could easily have been cruel and condescending.

The filmmakers are helped immeasurably by a wonderfully talented cast, all of whom play their parts perfectly. Joe Heder as Napoleon, Aaron Ruell as his brother, Kip, Efren Ramirez as Pedro, and Tina Majorino as Deb all deliver their lines in a flat, emotionless, singsong monotone that perfectly captures the defense mechanism each of them has set up as a shield against a brutal, uncomprehending world. Yet, Napoleon and his fellow nerds never settle for victim status, as each finds a way to assert his individuality and carve out a little piece of happiness for himself. As an actor, only Jon Gries as Napoleon's Uncle Rico gets to break through the somnambulist haze and go for the fences in his delivery.

"Napoleon Dynamite" is clearly not the kind of movie that every audience will appreciate, but those movie watchers with a taste for the offbeat and quirky will have a fun time with it.

Napoleon Dynamite (yes, that's his real name) is an outcast student in Preston, Idaho. But he befriends some other outcasts and in their own strange way they may just make themselves known. There may not be a definite plot, but it would be something like that.

I am calling this film "the smartest dumb comedy ever made" because the humor is all really stupid -- one-liners, absurd events and situations... with characters that really are not your typical movie heroes. But it's clear the people behind the film are not dumb at all. There's a hidden gem in this film.

The problem may be that the smartness is not on the surface. The first time I saw the film, I thought it was lame. The second time, I loved it. The third time, loved it more. I showed it to a friend once, who disliked it, but I wonder if she tried it again... and saw the genius. (Some might argue that "Freddy Got Fingered" is similar... I'm not going to try that here.)

Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) is the typical sad-sack, luckless loser that has permeated high schools for seemingly centuries. He has no friends, he's picked on by bullies, he has a somewhat-odd home life ... but through it all, he's sure things will be just plain okay in the end.

Napoleon and his older brother Kip (Aaron Ruell) live with their grandmother, but at the beginning of the film she tells them she needs to take off for a couple days. Enter their Uncle Rico (Jon Gries), a self-starter who's living in 1982 (when the coach of his high school football team declined to put him in as quarterback, thus altering Rico's life forever). Some of the funniest scenes in the film involve Napoleon's often-combative relationship with Uncle Rico; Rico is also bound and determined to return to those halcyon days of his youth via a time machine he's seen advertised on the Internet, and he enlists Kip to help him raise the funds.

Napoleon befriends the new kid in school, Pedro (Efren Ramirez), who has a sweet bike, can talk to girls, and has an actual mustache. But like Napoleon, Pedro is a misfit. Both sometimes hang out with yet another taciturn student, Deb (Tina Majorino, all grown up from Waterworld), who secretly (it seems) likes Napoleon. But there isn't a lot of focus on their relationship, because Napoleon himself is fairly oblivious to how people perceive him. This isn't a story about young love or lust, it's a story about a misfit refusing to fit - while fitting in with others like him.

Jon Heder is perfectly cast as the gawky, dorky Napoleon; he resembles Butt-Head in countenance, although certainly not in temperament or intelligence. Mouth agape and with an awkward gait, Napoleon is about as odd a duck as you'd find in high school, and yet he still manages to survive with his dignity intact. He's a good egg, although he seems to overreact at times: "What are you gonna do today, Napoleon? Napoleon: Whatever I feel like I wanna do.....GOSH!" Still, his delivery is perfect. You can readily picture a Napoleon in any high school.

I think where the film ultimately succeeds, aside from the casting of Heder, is that it doesn't fall into the traps of predictability and stereotyping. Sure, it's a high school movie, and there are snobby pretty girls and arrogant jocks, but not much time is devoted to them. Sure, there's a big dance, but it doesn't necessarily turn out the way you'd expect it to. What you're left with, then, isn't a typical coming-of-age story, but rather a unique take on a rather mundane - albeit life-altering - time in a boy's life.

This is the epitome of quotable movies. It's random absurdity on a level only matched by the genius of Monty Python. What is it about? Honestly, nothing. Are there any morals to be learned? Not really. Is it relatable? Most likely, not in the slightest.

But damn if it isn't one of the most hysterical, comedic masterpieces of all time. This is what movies are all about, it's about something that brings people together. And when you get a Napoleon Dynamite fan, and introduce them to another fan, what you'll get is a back-and-forth barrage of quotes and laughs and bonding that could last for hours, or even a lifetime.

I personally have made a trek to Preston, Idaho where this movie was filmed, and visited all the locations in the film, including the park and the very spot where LaFawnduh played footsie with Kip. And even the locals get in on it. The way my group was dressed (we all had different shirts referencing the movie, and all of us wore the patriotic "Rex Kwon Do" pants), there was no doubt we were fans of the movie, and we even had a local driving by and stop to give us a map of the filming locations. Many people honked at us. And we even visited the very Deseret Industries thrift store in which Napoleon famously bought his groovy mix tape and sai, and I kid you not, we found a plastic toy sai for sale. Naturally we bought it and I sheathed it in my belt loop. We are still in awe that it was even there to begin with, and we have a theory that they have a bag full of toy sais in the back, in order to keep at least one in stock on the shelves, for obvious reasons if you've seen the movie.

But all that is to show the affect this movie has on people. It has developed a massive cult following for a good reason. It's absolutely brilliant. Every scene generates genuine laughter. Every scene contains at least one classic quote that everybody uses when interacting in society. Every. Single. Scene. Is. GOLD. Except maybe the creepy scene with Uncle Rico in the photo shop. Other than that awkwardness, every scene is a comedic gold mine, and that is NO exaggeration.

This is a movie to be passionate about. And if you didn't get it, if you hated it, it's ok. It's not for everybody, for sure. Don't feel bad, don't feel like you're missing out. But if you haven't yet seen it, you are obligated now to find out which side of the severely polarized audience of the film you are on: Are you on the side that thought it was the stupidest thing you've ever watched, or are you voting for Pedro and part of the nunchuck-wielding fans who can quote practically the whole movie? I promise, if you watch this movie, at the very least, all of your wildest dreams will come true.

Regardless if you enjoyed it or not, unless you are in complete denial, you would have to admit the influence it had on society when it came out, and the power it still holds. Haters gonna hate, lovers gonna love.

I have to say I was so intrigued by the mixed responses to this film on this board I had to see it. In my opinion it was the best movie I have seen in years. I am so tired of the typical BS Hollywood crap, and this movie was far from that. Napoleon was indeed dynamite! The first couple minutes I was kinda worried that the naysayers were right, but as the movie continued I couldn't stop laughing! And for those how think that it was wrong to exploit the nerds in society, you definitely missed the whole point of the movie. It wasn't exploited them, it was more celebrating them and their uniqueness. And as for being unrealistic, this movie was more realistic than any movie I have seen. That was part of what made it hilarious. Not doubt this will be a cult classic! GO NAPOLEON!

I give this film a 10 out of 10