Review of Napoleon Dynamite (2004) by Andrew M — 20 Jul 2014

Both in real life and in film, students within a high school all seem to be separated into cliques that are almost cliches in themselves. Cheerleaders tend to be the elite among their peers, and are often viewed as not too terribly intelligent. Football players and jocks are essentially seen as the male counterpart to the aforementioned cheerleaders. "Geeks" are often associated with books, homework, and social awkwardness. And then there's Napoleon Dynamite: while similar to the "geeks", Napoleon Dynamite is in a whole different boat in terms of quirkiness and personality overall. Such a unique personality is what makes the character of Napoleon Dynamite, as well as the film of the same name, so immensely entertaining and absolutely hilarious.

Living in the real-life town of Preston, Idaho, Napoleon Dynamite is a socially awkward teenager living a quirky life, both at home and at school. At home, Napoleon lives with his brother Kip, an unemployed 32-year-old whose daily life consists of chatting with "babes" in Internet chat rooms, his unnamed grandmother, who lives a double life of boyfriends and biking on sand dunes, and Tina, a pet llama. At school, Napoleon passes the time by doodling ligers and dealing with school bullies with his intricate, yet clearly fake, stories. It's safe to say that while Napoleon is an outcast, he doesn't do much to mingle with others: while sitting next to a young boy on the bus who asks "What are you going to do today?", Napoleon replies with an aloof "Whatever I feel like I wanna do, gosh!".

For a while, things don't seem to get any better, as Napoleon and Kip's Uncle Rico comes to town after their grandmother breaks her coccyx while riding a dune buggy in the sand dunes. Uncle Rico takes Kip under his wing in a skeevy get-rich-quick scheme, completely leaving Napoleon when he's not spreading embarrassing rumors about Napoleon. Fortunately for Napoleon, he finds friends in the form of Pedro Sanchez, a foreign exchange student who wishes to become class president, and Deb, a shy girl earning money for college through small, petty jobs. As their friendships bloom, Napoleon and Deb help Pedro out in his election efforts, and ultimately become comfortable with their individuality.

Based on the writer/director Jared Hess' nine minute short film Peluca, Napoleon Dynamite ultimately feels like a series of short skits held together by a few plot points. While a lack of a substantial plot would normally be a downside, Napoleon Dynamite ultimately makes it work through some surprisingly deep, even relatable, themes. As Napoleon, Pedro, and Deb progress through high school, they make the realization that sometimes it's best to stay on the edge of society where they currently are. Yet while these themes are strangely serious, they never take away from the film's quirky sense of humor, through which Hess has created one-liner after one-liner that has entertained an entire generation.

While Hess' screenplay is hilarious, Napoleon Dynamite's huge success is the portrayal of Napoleon himself by Jon Heder. Heder absolutely owns the role of Napoleon Dynamite, whether it be his trademark voice, his sense of fashion, or even his going as far as getting a perm to fit the character's physical appearance. Heder brings a hysterical performance to the character, with a dry, deadpan performance that is sure to garner several laughs. The supporting cast is also hilarious in its own right. Aaron Ruell's Kip and Effren Ramirez's Pedro are both hilariously monotonous, somehow creating humor without any outrageous facial or vocal expressions. Tina Majorino and John Gries are also quite amusing as Deb and Uncle Rico, respectively.

Jared Hess creates such a strange style through his directing, yet it couldn't fit the film's characters and tone any better. With a 70s funk soundtrack and the aforementioned unique fashion sense of its characters, It's almost hard to tell that the film is set in the 2000s. The rural town of Preston is strangely desolated, with large expanses of just open fields that often make the film's setting seem like one of Napoleon's daydreams itself. Hess also handles some of the film's best jokes through his great direction, the most famous (and hilarious) being Napoleon's improvised dance skit set to the tune of Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat".

Napoleon Dynamite has successfully earned its spot as a cult classic and as a Sundance darling. Napoleon Dynamite is quite literally one of the most unique comedies in film history; there's truly not another film that can be compared to it. While it's lack of an intricate storyline will be off-putting to some, it's hilarious characters, deadpan performances, and instantly quotable dialogue make up for its shortcomings and then some. What could have been "pretty much the worst video ever" is instead one of the strangest, hilarious, and entertaining comedies ever.