Review by Robert Moore
Rating:
I love independent films, but the truth is that some of them you have to cut a tiny bit of slack due to their lack of resources. But not NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. Seeing this was one of the most delightful, unexpected pleasures that I have had in a movie in a long, long time. Most high school comedies dealing with school nerds are a bit of a cheat, because the nerds are never really as nerdy as the ones we all knew or (or perhaps were) in high school. My favorite TV show is BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, but I could never really buy the ultra-cute Alyson Hannigan as a school nerd. But not so Napoleon Dynamite, his friend Pedro, or Deb, the reserved and shy girl he has a crush on.

No explanation is made of Napoleon’s name, but any Elvis Costello fan knows that in the 1980s he declared that he would no longer be known as Elvis Costello, but instead as Napoleon Dynamite, under which name he released what may have been his last great album, BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE. The producers have independently declared that they were unaware of that and chose the name without reference to Elvis Costello. This is, of course, utterly absurd, about as believable as someone making a movie with the lead character named Anna Karenina but claiming to be ignorant that Tolstoy had a character by that name.

The movie depicts the private hell that is the life of Napoleon Dynamite, a hopelessly inept misfit at Preston High School in Idaho, apparently without any friends at all until he stumbles upon a new Hispanic student Pedro, who apparently is incapable of speaking any word with more than one syllable or of smiling (until the very end of the film). Napoleon makes nerds look cool. School is such hell for Napoleon that it seems perfectly normal for one kid as he is walking down the hall to body slam him up against his locker. It isn’t just that he is clueless, he is cursed; he not only thinks it is OK to stuff tater tots into his pocket, unwrapped, for snacking on later, it is inevitable that another kid will crush them in his pocket when he refuses to share.

If Napoleon’s life is awful at school, it is as bad at home. We are clueless as to the whereabouts or fate of his parents, but his slacker and equally nerdy brother provides neither companionships nor solace, and when his grandmother injures herself in a ATV sand dune accident, his Uncle Rico, a fortyish Peter Pan so desperately yearning for 1982 that he orders a home made time travel machine over the Internet, who is as pathetic in his own way as either Napoleon or his brother Kip.

Plot is not really important in the film; the process of Napoleon’s life is. This could easily have been a terrible film, but director Jered Hess (born, by the way, in Preston, Idaho), who co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Jerusha, displays throughout a deft touch at keeping things interesting and funny instead of merely silly. The actors are all excellent, though for the most part near unknowns. I recognized only two performers, one being Diedrich Bader, who has been in a number of roles over the years, perhaps more memorably in OFFICE SPACE as the protagonist’s next door neighbor, with whom he would have conversations through the wall. Here he has a hysterical stint as an absurd martial arts instructor. I also knew Tina Majorino, who has been in a number of films over the years, primarily as a child. She does a great job as Deb, though her role (as is Napoleon’s) is a bit of a cheat on the audience. They make her up to be as unattractive as possible, when she is, in fact, quite a cutie, as the improved hair-do at the end of the film proves. The cheat with Napoleon is the fact that he . . . well, I won’t spoil things. Let’s just say that by the end of the film he isn’t the helpless nerd we imagine. I especially enjoyed Efren Ramirez as the monosyllabic Pedro. He underplays his role to the point of parody.

I do highly recommend this movie. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE is a thoroughly unique, fun, and funny film, that isn’t quite like anything else I’ve seen. One might say that it is not unlike a male-oriented version of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE set in rural Idaho.

Review by cookieman108
Rating:
In high school, I was one of the nameless, faceless rabble who drew little attention, maintained a low profile, and caused little trouble all in the hopes of getting out relatively unscathed, a goal I managed to accomplish, partly due to my sometimes intimidating presence, but mainly because I was able to fit in, sort of like a fish within a shoal…but there were those who weren’t so fortunate, as obvious physical characteristics or personality traits (or both) tended to enunciate their presence regardless of vain attempts to `blend in’ or enjoy the anonymity I, and those like me, tended to take for granted. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) is a film about one of those individuals.

The film, written and directed by Jared Hess, takes place in a small Idaho town and stars Jon Heder as the title character (he reminded me a lot of Timothy Busfield’s character of Arnold Poindexter in the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds). Also appearing is Jon Gries (Real Genius, Fright Night Part II), Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez (Kazaam), Tina Majorino (she played the little girl with the map on her back in Kevin Costner’s flopperino Waterworld), and Haylie Duff, sister to the more famous Hillary Duff, who both share a surname that’s the same as Homer Simpson’s favorite alcoholic beverage, Duff Beer.

Napoleon Dynamite is an odd character for sure, with his shaggy red afro, moon boots (he wears them year `round), and t-shirts usually featuring those glossy iron-ons so popular in the 70′s (he seems to purchase much of his wardrobe at the local thrift store) with a penchant for drawing mythical creatures, boasting about fictional girlfriends who live in other states (don’t they always?), and touting his non-existent martial arts abilities, “You know, there’s like a b*tt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I’m pretty good with a bowstaff”. Oh yeah, he breathes mostly through his mouth, and his vernacular includes, but isn’t limited to, the liberal usage of such words like sweet, flippin’, gosh, freakin’, and heck, and he, along with his 32 year old brother Kip (Ruell), live with their grandmother, who owns a llama named Tina. After an ATV accident sends grandma to the hospital, Uncle Rico (Gries) arrives to watch over the boys, and involves Kip in his schemes to make some sweet cash. Napoleon, meanwhile, finds a friend in a newly arrived Hispanic student named Pedro (Ramirez) and he and their shy and kinda dorky friend Deb (Majorino) assist Pedro in his bid to become the next student body president, their competition being Summer (Duff), member of the cheerleading squad and the most popular girl in school. Do the trio have a chance in beating the juggernaut that is Summer? Perhaps, but it requires Napoleon to pull forth from within something no one would have realized he had, not even himself…

The film is very odd…it’s kind of a mix of the Coen brothers (Fargo, Raising Arizona), John Waters (Crybaby), and the earlier films of John Hughes (Sixteen Candles). There’s not much of a story at the beginning, more of a series of innocuous, unrelated, comical events, but later on we do see some development in this area with regards to Napoleon and Deb helping Pedro in his running for student body president. Some scenes will make little or no sense in relation to what you may perceive as the story, so my recommendation is to just let it go, and enjoy the film for what it is, whatever it is…the real fun lies within Heder and his complete submersion into the character of Napoleon, wallowing in his own uncoolness. Initially most will probably find him annoying and off-putting, but he sort of grew on me, and I actually found myself quietly rooting for him, in his most simple of endeavors (like trying to find a sweet fanny pack at the local thrift store), but don’t get the wrong impression. This isn’t a triumphant nerd film (the nerd beats the jocks and/or gets the head cheerleader in the end), but a character-driven slice of weirdness that has a tendency to amuse. The dialogue contains tons of quotable lines, and comes across genuine sense of realism. The composed music by John Swihart and chosen pre-recorded material used to make the soundtrack complemented the film very well. I think my favorite scene is when Napoleon discovers his uncle’s crude time machine (which he purchased of the internet), and decides to give it a try…does it work? Well, it does something, but I won’t tell you what…one thing I really noticed was an absolute absence of profanity. I’m not against its’ usage in films, and have even become used to it (for better or worse), so it was kinda refreshing.

The picture quality, presented in both 1.85:1 anamorphic wide screen and 1.33:1 full screen (both sides of the DVD are used), looks sharp and clear, with the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio coming through very well. Special features are numerous and include a commentary track by the director/writer Hess, actor Heder, and producer Jeremy Coon, along with deleted scenes (with optional commentary), a short film entitled `Peluca’ (basically the original concept for the character of Napoleon Dynamite, also with commentary), a number of MTV promotional spots, a still gallery, a featurette on the shooting of the final scene (keep watching the film after the credits to see a newly filmed 4 minute sequence shot a year after the film was released, made especially for the DVD release), and a promo for the FOX television series Arrested Development. The special features are split between the two sides of the discs, so be sure to flip it over once you’ve finished one side. My recommendation is to rent the film before buying, as it’s not for everyone (I wouldn’t bother showing it to my mother, as I know she wouldn’t attempt to understand the where the humor comes from within this film).

Cookieman108

Review by Harvey S. Jacobs
Rating:
I knew absolutley nothing about this flick when my 14 year old red-headed math whiz son said Dad let’s go see this movie. From the opening credits I was entertained. This movie, is essentially a “day in the life of an Idaho high school nerd as he moves through various life cycle events and characters.” Though the word “nerd” hardly seems to do justice to the timeless nature of title character Napoleon Dynamite. With little or no plot, Napoleon turned out to be more than part nostalgia. It was a stroll down memory lane. If I did not know that the writers in fact lived in Idaho, I would have sworn they had gone to my High School in South Florda in the late 70′s. Our Senior Class Vice-President was in fact PEDRO from Mexico, our class Secretary, Melanie a blonde buxom cheerleader incarnate of this films’ fictional “Summer” character and our Treasurer sported a huge Afro and all were clad in their finest disco outfits.

I guess this is why this sleeper film has gained such popularity. Forty-something dads and their teen kids can both see this movie together and come out repeating its hysterical dialogue. The current crop of teen viewers are living these absurd stereotypes and situations (dating, class elections, high school dances, the cafeteria). The oldsters in the audience either were, or knew one or more of this film’s quirky characters.

The acting and dialogue are pure genius in their simplicity and absurdity. As other reviewers have mentioned, lines from this flick will become folklore. I found myself sitting around our family dinner table spouting off Napoleonisms reminiscent of the best of Monty Python.

Definitely go see this movie without any pre-conceptions, or expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised.