Napoleon 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.

OK, I have seen a lot of negative reviews on this movie. It made me leery of even seeing it. I work at a video store so I get to see movies before their street release date. There were a few naysayers at work, but I rented it anyway. This was a rental well spent. This is the first movie I have seen in some time that doesn't have swear words or sex in any form so it is OK for any age. If you are or ever were just a little bit geeky, Napoleon is the hero for you. This movie is much funnier to a gen-x'er. There are a lot of things that you won't "get" if you weren't a part of the 80's. All in all, I think that it is a great way to spend an evening. I am looking forward to seeing more from this writer/director.

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

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 by all means is not a five-star masterpiece, and it mayn't be to everybody's tastes but I was surprised at how much I liked it, even with its problems. I can also say I do think there are much worse movies out there- Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, Home Alone 4, Cat in the Hat and Superbabies:Baby Geniuses 2 are much worse than this film.

What I did like about Napoleon Dynamite was that it was unique, funny, quirky and original. Where it is not quite so good is in the episodic story structure and some of the supporting characters particularly comic-book-geek older brother and the ageing jock uncle were disappointingly one-dimensional and could have been further explored in terms of depth.

Napoleon Dynamite does have a refreshingly distinctive time-warp look that recalls the style-challenged 1980s though, and that was refreshing in itself. The soundtrack is nice and nostalgic, and there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud funny moments. Also the ending is suitably uplifting and the limited horizons of young people in small-town America is nicely conveyed. The script is good and the direction is pretty solid.

As are the performances. Jon Heder is delightfully eccentric in the title role, and he is really entertaining throughout, whether it is in the voice, the facial expressions or his character's actions. Napoleon is a blank-faced teen with carrot-coloured hair and seriously underdeveloped interpersonal skills, and here he tries to help his nerd of a best friend Pedro, amusingly played by Efren Ramirez. In terms of other supporting performances, Aaron Ruell also does a good job as Kip and while his role wasn't as well-sketched as it could have been, Jonathan Gries does nicely as Uncle Rico.

Overall, not perfect, but amusing, quirky and unique. 7/10 Bethany Cox