Napoleon Dynamite (2004) Reviews

• You have to "get it" before you find it funny. And it is VERY funny.

  gawkman2004-12-30

  The love/hate reactions I've seen do not surprise me at all. This movie is very different, it's own style... and it is PURE GENIUS. But it's definitely not for everyone... you have to back off and understand the mood and general feel of the movie before you have the context to find the actions of the characters funny. Then you will "get it". And what is this context I'm referring to? This movie explores the very essence of boredom and mediocrity as you follow the daily life of a dorky guy doing uninteresting things in a small, unexciting town. Napolean's constant, open-mouth, blank stare says, "I'm only tolerating this monotonous existence because I've got nothing better to do." It took me about 15 minutes into the movie and then I GOT it. The movie has no real plot because it isn't about an interesting story, it's about the real life that exists BETWEEN the interesting stories. Ever call up your bud because you're bored, then talk about what you're not doing, then decide to get together and be bored together, and spend the remainder of the evening trying to think of something to do to no avail? This movie is about this very type of thing... a tribute to the ordinary every-day stuff that you have no reason or desire to remember... like eating reheated leftover Hamburger Helper, or that old shirt you wear when you're working that you're not afraid to get dirty, or some magazine you flipped through to pass the time in the dentist's waiting room. I constantly found myself saying, "This all seems too strangely familiar. I knew a guy like that. I've done stuff like that. I've been to a store like that. I've been in a house like that." This isn't the kind of movie to make you suddenly laugh out loud, it's a movie that will first make you chuckle, and then chuckle some more, and pretty soon you can't stop laughing as scenes and characters continuously remind you about the absurdity of watching random, stupid pointlessness. Why would something boring be interesting to watch? You'll just have to see it to understand.

• I hated it the 1st time, but it grew on me...

  aurora72006-06-16

  I saw this movie in theaters when it first came out and was quite curious because of the hype surrounding it at the time. When I walked out, all I could hear myself saying in my mind was "What the hell just happened?" and felt like going back to the box office and asking for my 10 bucks back. Reader, I positively *hated* it - I didn't "get" the humour and I thought all the people in this movie were just plain weird - like somehow this movie was "trying" too hard to be funny yet the humour was falling flat. Also the style of most of the folks had me wondering if this movie was in the 80's or something or if the film makers were torn between setting this movie up in the 80's or 90's or maybe if the film makers were making some sort of statement on mid-westerners being 10 years behind us east and west coasters - I mean the weird T-shirts, Naploleon's hair and attire, the break-dancing music, Deb wearing stir-up pants, the ponytail on one side, 80's music like Cyndi Lauper and poofy prom dresses. The only thing that gave it away that this film takes place more recently were the references to the Internet for Uncle Rico's time machine, the heavy techno-dance music that Pedro's cousin play in their muscle mobile and Kip's online romance with Lafawnduh as well as Napoleon's dance sequence to Jamiroquoi's "Canned Heat" at the very end (which BTW, seemed to be inspired by the "Solid Gold" dancers of the 70's and 80's). Then something strange happened. The film cable channels here started playing it frequently and I'd catch bits and pieces of it here and there and found myself enjoying the humour more and more. I was finally getting it and enjoying it - I was even starting the know certain parts of it by heart. My brother went out and bought the DVD of the film and now I can safely say, I really love this little film. After being absorbed in Napoleon's universe, you realize he's actually a really good kid and just trying to find his place in the grand scheme of things despite being misunderstood at school and at home. You end up *wanting* Napoleon to succeed and be happy and I think we can safely assume he does. In some ways, this film is like Napoleon, it's the small-budget film that could and I'm glad to see the cult following this film has developed. It deserves all it gets. To those of you who hated this film after watching it once, all I can say is I'd encourage you to watch it once more and give it a chance. I'm sure glad I did.

• Funny and unique!

  dfranzen702004-12-30

  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.

• Not Just Another Teen Nerd Story, This Is Both Original & Very Funny

  ccthemovieman-12007-07-14

  If you like dry or dark humor, you should get a big kick out of this movie. I know I did. If you are between 12-20 you might even like it more because this deals with high school kids primarily. However, there are some adults in here who play key roles, too. The teens and the adults have a couple of things in common: they are nerds and weird people and they are all hilarious. They also are unlike a cast of characters you have seen in any other movie. In other words, this movie is an "original." I didn't know any of these actors and I think that helped. It made it even more original, looking at new faces. That begins with the title character, played by Jon Heder. A white kid in Idaho with a afro haircut, over-sized glasses, moon boots and an unpredictable and low-key personality unlike anyone I've ever seen in other films. Even though he's pictured as a huge nerd, he surprises you all the time. Just when you think you have this kid figured out, he does something unexpected. Whatever, he's fun to watch and hear throughout the movie. Suffice to say "Napoleon" and about everyone in this film is totally whacked and all of them - male, female, young, old, good and bad people are extremely entertaining. A lot of the humor is visual, meaning the looks and reactions on these character's faces and the weird deadpan lines they deliver. Are there stereotypes in here? Yes, like the bimbo, prettiest girl in school running for class president , and her stupid, macho boyfriend, but most of the people were pretty unique. If you like absurd humor, this is your cup of tea, and you don't have to be a teen to enjoy this. Hey, I'm old enough to be Napoleon's grandfather and I laughed my butt off from the beginning to the end of this unconventional film.

• TOO FUNNY!

  eht5y2004-12-07

  It seems based on many of the comments on this site that certain folks may be expecting a bit too much from a movie such as 'Napoleon Dynamite.' This ain't art cinema, folks. It's absurdist comedy. Don't go to see this film looking for deep meaning or well-constructed plot--the vague semblance of a plot is as artificial as they come, and seems inserted mostly to give the film structure and to permit the audience a somewhat 'happy' ending. NO, Napoleon Dynamite isn't about changing the world--it's live action 'South Park' (Preston, Idaho, where the film is set, actually bears a strong resemblance to the real South Park, Colorado). It's a highly ironic, self-mocking, merciless run of sight gags and one liners with no apparent purpose other than to get laughs at the expense of its main characters, especially the eponymous Napoleon, a fit stand-in for everyone who's ever felt like a socially inept outcast trapped in the hell of high school. This movie isn't for everybody, but if you don't see glimpses of your own childhood in the various awkwardnesses and failures of the main characters, you're in denial. Don't see Napoleon Dynamite if you're expecting sensitivity--go see it if you're pissed off at the world and just need to laugh. I saw it for the first time last night, and I'm still busting into spontaneous laughter whenever one of Napoleon's silly one-liners or blank-faced dead-pan non-sequitirs comes to mind.