Napoleon DynamiteHow do you remember high school? Was the playground ornamented with a tether ball pole? Were lunch trays loaded with tater tots? Were you one of the popular kids? Or maybe you saw things from the other side of the fence, like Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), an eccentric young man with his uniquely individiual view on what's cool and how to live his life. He lives with his brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell)--who spends "all day on chat rooms, talking to babes" and grandmother (Sandy Martin), who liked to secretly ride dirt bikes in the sand dunes. Napoleon's life changes when he forges an alliance with the newest student at his school, the quiet Pedro Sánchez (Efren Ramirez).
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Napoleon Dynamite is a prime example of an independent film which skyrocketed with momentum, and has grown into a cult hit. Like the unassuming main character, its charm and individuality sets it apart from the crowd, and is what makes it appealing. Set in the rural town of Preston, Idaho--where farmlands and fields of grain stretch out to the Rockies on the horizon--the world of Napoleon Dynamite seems removed from time, a kind of microcosmic encapsulation from the past. When Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) comes to visit, his fixation on his football glory days motivates him to purchase a "time machine" from the internet, where he hopes to go back to 1982, only to discover it doesn't work; except, one has only to look around and get the sense that maybe Preston is already in 1982, and still there in stasis. If your high school experience was like mine, you might have more than a few knowing smirks at the spot-on references and homages to details from that time, be it the corny, soft rock played at the dances or the awkward teen group performances--like the Happy Hands sign language organization--set to even more soft rock. The local dialect is also charming in its bizarre pronunciations and diction; it would come as no surprise to me if visiting a Chipotle and ordering a "dang kay-suh-dill-ah" didn't meet with some chuckles from fans of the film. Napoleon Dynamite is a rarity among teen comedies, which generally cater to raunch and contain language, ironically, unsuited for the portrayed audience. Aside from Napoleon's final dance number, Napoleon Dynamite is more authentic, and actually feels more like what high school was like for me than something like American Pie...maybe I had some mild teen years compared to others. What makes Napoleon Dynamite stand out among teen movies is that its focus is not on the photogenic, vapid jerks like Summer (Haylie Duff)--which are all too often the center of attention, anyway--but on the kids who are far more interesting and relatable, if exaggerated; give me the freaks and geeks over the jocks and jerks any day.
Although Napoleon carries himself as though he were indifferent to social status in school, it becomes clear that he does have some self-esteem issues. This is made especially clear when he shows Pedro a glamour photo he kept when Deb (Tina Majorino) left it with him, and claims she is his "girlfriend from Oklahoma". While it is a fairly harmless lie, it is one he's telling more to himself, envisioning something more exciting than the same old boring days in Preston, trying to find something special he can call his own. When Rico recruits Kip to go out selling a Tupperware knock-off door-to-door, Napoleon is pressed to try to make some money of his own, which results in his short-lived career tending hens at a chicken farm, one more endeavor that doesn't pan out. Actually, much of Napoleon Dynamite is centered around the eclectic cast of characters trying to find their groove, and discover not only who they are, but what they're actually good at. Sometimes, it is the allure of having money which motivates the players to do anything from quality control for a dairy farm, or offering discounted glamour shots, like Deb does, alongside selling key chains. There is a lot of stumbling, like Napoleon's artistic approach to woo a girl for the dance, after discovering Deb--who he has a crush on, but is to shy to express--has accepted Pedro's invitation. But the characters, comical and strange though they may be, do keep trying; and though the rewards may not be fame or glamour, they prove more valuable. Rico certainly pays for his desperate attempt to scrounge up cash by advertising a line of "herbal enhancements" to the wrong party, but even his missteps are done out of foolishness, which he hopefully has become wiser about by the end. Kip's relationship with his online honey, LaFawnduh Lucas (Shondrella Avery) has him trading in his buttoned-up polos for the "thug life", but he confesses that he "couldn't be happier". And Napoleon's dance number to get Pedro elected as class president--set to "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai--shows that hidden talents can emerge in the most surprising ways...and that "D-Kwon's Dance Grooves" might be the best two bucks Napoleon ever spent at the flea market. By the end of the film, most of the characters have discovered something through their odyssey into the strange which helps them find who they are...even if it isn't a cage fighter. But maybe it's even better, like actually taming a wild stallion, instead of just talking about it...go ahead, make your wildest dreams come true. (Vote for Pedro.)
Recommended for: Fans of a quirky teen comedy with charm and subtle wit. This highly quotable, independent gem bucks the trend of models pretending to be people, and gives us a weird--but surprisingly recognizable--slice of hometown oddity and a unique kind of "rebel" as our protagonist.
Although Napoleon carries himself as though he were indifferent to social status in school, it becomes clear that he does have some self-esteem issues. This is made especially clear when he shows Pedro a glamour photo he kept when Deb (Tina Majorino) left it with him, and claims she is his "girlfriend from Oklahoma". While it is a fairly harmless lie, it is one he's telling more to himself, envisioning something more exciting than the same old boring days in Preston, trying to find something special he can call his own. When Rico recruits Kip to go out selling a Tupperware knock-off door-to-door, Napoleon is pressed to try to make some money of his own, which results in his short-lived career tending hens at a chicken farm, one more endeavor that doesn't pan out. Actually, much of Napoleon Dynamite is centered around the eclectic cast of characters trying to find their groove, and discover not only who they are, but what they're actually good at. Sometimes, it is the allure of having money which motivates the players to do anything from quality control for a dairy farm, or offering discounted glamour shots, like Deb does, alongside selling key chains. There is a lot of stumbling, like Napoleon's artistic approach to woo a girl for the dance, after discovering Deb--who he has a crush on, but is to shy to express--has accepted Pedro's invitation. But the characters, comical and strange though they may be, do keep trying; and though the rewards may not be fame or glamour, they prove more valuable. Rico certainly pays for his desperate attempt to scrounge up cash by advertising a line of "herbal enhancements" to the wrong party, but even his missteps are done out of foolishness, which he hopefully has become wiser about by the end. Kip's relationship with his online honey, LaFawnduh Lucas (Shondrella Avery) has him trading in his buttoned-up polos for the "thug life", but he confesses that he "couldn't be happier". And Napoleon's dance number to get Pedro elected as class president--set to "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai--shows that hidden talents can emerge in the most surprising ways...and that "D-Kwon's Dance Grooves" might be the best two bucks Napoleon ever spent at the flea market. By the end of the film, most of the characters have discovered something through their odyssey into the strange which helps them find who they are...even if it isn't a cage fighter. But maybe it's even better, like actually taming a wild stallion, instead of just talking about it...go ahead, make your wildest dreams come true. (Vote for Pedro.)
Recommended for: Fans of a quirky teen comedy with charm and subtle wit. This highly quotable, independent gem bucks the trend of models pretending to be people, and gives us a weird--but surprisingly recognizable--slice of hometown oddity and a unique kind of "rebel" as our protagonist.