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| Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
 
Starring: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino, Diedrich Bader, Haylie Duff Director: Jared Hess Rating: PG Category: Comedy  |
Being crowned as the King of Buzz at the Sundance Film Festival doesn’t always equal success, but sometimes it can turn a small movie into a big deal, and “Napoleon Dynamite” certainly fits the bill with its wildly eccentric hero popping up everywhere on television these days. The film exploded not only as a unique, independent comedy that cinephiles could blog about endlessly, but it has an undeniable mainstream charm that appeals to anyone from the age of six to sixty-six. “Napoleon Dynamite” doesn’t feature the year’s best script, nor is it one of the funniest films to be released as of late, but it does make for a memorable experience that you can enjoy over and over again.
Newcomer Jon Heder stars as the title character, Napoleon Dynamite, possibly the dorkiest character in the history of film. Napoleon is a sleepy-eyed social zombie, complete with a frizzy, red-haired afro and worn-out moon boots that he wears wherever he goes. He rarely speaks to the opposite sex because he believes that girls want a guy with skills (like bow hunting), and when he does talk to them, he says things like: “Are you drinking 1% milk because you thing your fat? Cause you’re not you know. You could drink whole milk if you wanted to.”
Napoleon’s older (and possibly dorkier) brother Kip (Aaron Ruell) spends his days at home on internet dating chat rooms because he’s a real “ladies man,” but after their Grandma gets injured while riding her ATV around the local sand dunes, their has-been Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) is sent to keep an eye on the boys. Uncle Rico fantasizes about his high school football years and makes a living off of get-rich-quick schemes; he even wastes his hard earned money on a time machine from eBay with the hopes of traveling back in time and becoming an all-state quarterback. Napoleon would rather waste away his days in class drawing fantastical animals than deal with his crazy uncle, but when an ill-prepared Mexican student, Pedro (Efren Ramirez), begins his new life at the small Idaho high school, Napoleon takes him under his wing and helps him run for class president against the school’s head cheerleader (played by Haylie Duff).
“Napoleon Dynamite” takes a hilarious look at surviving the oddities of adolescence through a family-friendly character whose overused exclamations of “idiot” and “gosh” are about as risky as he gets, but that’s not to say that the film doesn’t have its darker tones either. Uncle Rico is clearly the least-ethical character of the story with his door-to-door cons, but even good guys like Pedro have their moments with campaign efforts that allow his fellow students to bash piñatas resembling his competitor.
What’s essentially comical about the content of the film is that a lot of viewers initially believe that the story takes place in the 80’s, due to the retro clothing and pop cultural references to Glamour Shots and “The A-Team,” but after consulting my Mormon friend from BYU (where both the director and star attend) on the subject, I was informed of how life really is in the high Mormon-concentrated areas of Idaho and Utah. In a place where they are seemingly a decade behind the times, it only makes sense that the characters should inhabit these same qualities to preserve a sense of realism. If you’re looking for a light, original movie that will be sure to please everyone in the family, don’t be an idiot, check out “Napoleon Dynamite” and you’ll unlock the true potential of your cafeteria’s tater tots.
DVD Review:
The “Napoleon Dynamite” DVD isn’t the greatest disc to hit video stores this year, but it presents its loyal fan base with plenty of entertaining extras that compliment the nature of the film. The single-disc release of the film offers both the full screen and widescreen version on a dual-sided DVD, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio track that never gets to really show off its best feats. Headlining the special features section is a full-length audio commentary with writer/director Jared Hess, star Jon Heder and producer Jeremy Coon, and although it features three very different voices, not too much is said between them. Also on the disc are a series of entertaining MTV promos and the short film "Peluca" that inspired the making of “Napoleon Dynamite,” complete with optional commentary by Hess, Heder and Coon. Once again, this isn’t the greatest selection of bonus material to make its way onto DVD, but the film succeed well enough on its own, and I wouldn’t expect a consumer-led uproar any time soon.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com