NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
MPAA Rating:
 for thematic elements and languageReviewed by: Chris Monroe Good
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Teens
Genre:
Comedy, Teen
Length:
1 hr. 26 min.
Year of Release:
2004
USA Release:
______
      Relevant Issues
 Expecting a film about the nineteenth century French emperor? If so, the movie could entail a fabricated story about how the fascist leader tried unsuccessfully to invent explosives. But the title of that flick would be “Napoleon Blownapart.” No, Napoleon Dynamite is a totally new, modern character, and as authentic and uniquely drawn as the film that is named after him. In this forum, you’ll be infused with independent cinema and explode with laughter. Perhaps adhering to the idea that it’s “chic to be geek,” newbe director, Jared Hess, has spared no expense in celebrating his anti-hero, Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), a completely socially inept high school student in a small Idahoan town. Napoleon lives with his gruff, four-wheeling grandmother (Sandy Martin) and his thirty-two year old effeminate brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), and is the epitome of the passé idea of “nerd.” Centered around typical teenage issues involving high school dances, student government elections and frustrated adolescent love, the uncomplicated plot is clearly a platform to highlight the quirkoholic character Napoleon. As conventional as some of the story choices are, they work, and the film is so well built with other refreshingly original choices that it’s nothing to scoff at. Beyond his name, Napoleon amuses us with his usual abrasive tone and fantastic stories. In the locker room, the jocks pick on him and ask what he did last summer. He irritatingly replies, “I told you, I was hunting wolverines with my uncle in Alaska!” Also entertaining is Kip’s relationship with his internet girlfriend, LaFawnduh (Shondrella Avery), and Uncle Rico (Jon Gries), who comes to be guardian over Kip and Napoleon while their grandma is away. And their karate lesson at the local dojo gives us more to laugh at. As raw as this film is, the cleanliness is quite incomparable to most contemporary comedies. At no point was any cuss word detected. The closest it comes is when Napoleon is frustrated and adds in a “freakin'” or “flippin'” to what he says. The most offensive thing might be a business Uncle Rico starts later, working with breast enhancers. It is only mentioned a couple of times and over the course of the film as we have learned to dislike Uncle Rico, our distaste for him is associated with this business. This film does not try to be anything other than it is: a newfangled, straightforward comedy to incite honest laughter. With blatant attempts to make us laugh, there are a few moments where we hit our head on the ceiling of the humor. Still, the reason we can find Napoleon so amusing is because, to some degree, we might identify with being the outcast or with the awkward adolescent era of our lives. Underneath all of the mockery, we can have sympathy for people like Napoleon struggling to find acceptance and their place in this world. Where Gus van Saint’s “Elephant” might be a depiction of the tragedy of high school misfits, Napoleon Dynamite is the comedy. And the ending is capped off with a euphoric experience that leaves you uplifted. Violence: None / Profanity: Minor / Sex&Nudity: Minor Producer’s Synopsis: “From Preston, Idaho comes Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), a new kind of hero complete with a tight red 'fro, some sweet moon boots, and skills that can’t be topped. Napoleon lives with his Grandma (Sandy Martin) and his 30-year-old, unemployed brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), who spends his days looking for love in Internet chat rooms. When Grandma hits the road on her quad runner, Napoleon and Kip’s meddling Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) comes to town to stay with them and ruin their lives.   Positive - A friend of mine took me to see this film for free at an advance
screening, but I’d gladly pay money to see it again. I haven’t laughed so
hard consistently throughout a movie in a very long time. If you were a
socially inept dork in high school (like myself) or knew the ones who
were, this movie will totally hit home with you. However, rather than
deliberately making fun at the foibles of Napoleon, his quirky family and
his equally quirky friends, there is a genuine sweetness that runs
throughout the film to its charming conclusion, which left me smiling.
Even the opening credits, which use plates of food and various school
supplies to reveal the names of the cast and crew, is wonderfully
inventive. (The Idaho locations are also a nice change of pace from what
you normally see in a movie, and it really makes the film seem real.)
There are no big life lessons to be learned here, other than the fact you
can find true love no matter how dorky or socially inept you might be. One last thing--there is no foul language in this film at all, which I appreciated. “Napoleon Dynamite” has the same type of knowing, offbeat humor as “Welcome to the Dollhouse” or “The Royal Tenenbaums,” but without those films' dark, sadistic undertones. I loved it. Positive - A low-budget, no-stars, Wes Anderson film. Very, very funny, very little to be offended at (there is some suggested mistreatment of animals). This is one of those films that gets funnier as you watch it, quote it, and rewatch it over and over. So funny that you hardly realize that the story is thin, and the budget is so low. Positive - I am 40 years old. My 20 year old daughter brought this movie home, and I fully expected to hate it and think it was stupid. Well, a strange thing happened. I found it so stupid it’s funny. I’m not sure which part I liked best. Napoleons mannerisms and quirks are just really funny. I’ve now watched it about 7 times. My daughter will throw it on, and I’ll sit there and watch it again and again. I RARELY watch a movie twice, but as someone else stated, the more you watch it the funnier it is. Negative - This was the dumbest movie my wife and I have seen in a long, long time. The main character, Napoleon Dynamite, is totally self-absorbed and lame brained. None of the other characters are engaging or admirable. The acting is sophomoric and the plot is thinner than a bargain store hankie. What passes for humor is often so stilted and unimaginative it truly dulls the senses. The greatest appeal this movie might hold for many is its generally inoffensive content. Negative - …I sent my 2 teenage sons and 2 friends to see this movie. When I went to pick them up I expected to see BIG smiles on their faces, but their expressions were anything but. They all thought it was the worst movie they had ever seen and that it was a complete waste of money. They even felt that THEY should have paid to watch it! Oh well… Neutral - I took some youth from my church to see this movie. They laughed hard and loud. They want me to take them again. The movie had only mild slang words and no curse words. I was glad that a movie was made with no
bad language or nudity. This movie is for youth! Positive - This was a wonderful film about being a nerd in school. I was that nerd, so I was able to relate to Napoleon’s plight in being accepted for who he was. To paraphrase another movie review, he embraces his nerdiness and is not ashamed of it. He just wants to be accepted by the in-crowd. It’s also funny, too. Negative - Save on the high ticket prices at the theatre and wait until it hits the video stores. We went to see this movie on the recommendation of my 15 year old niece who enjoys the same type of comedy as my husband. We caught ourselves laughing because we listened to her. I expected it to be stupid humor like “Dumb and Dumber” (only clean)…Morally the only thing I found slightly offensive was the Uncle’s “Bust Must” business. Negative - …This movie made me squirm. It may have been clean on the outside, but it seemed to have sadness and dysfunction running throughout. The characters were all unhappy. Everyone, even the adults, were misfits and self-centered. There was no joy or life in them. The best nerds in high school in my set were happy nerdy people. The uncle made me greatly uncomfortable when he would close the door behind him while going in the homes of women. One scene where he told Napolean to wait outside made me feel really creepy. Didn’t anyone else wonder what was going on inside? I think his character was a predator, eventually interested in the younger set. HOW CREEPY! I would rather have swearing in a movie with a real dilemna, problem solving, unity, kindness, good choice/bad choices, respect…anything but this numb, loser of a movie. As Christians we shouldn’t have to settle for no swearing and no sex to call it a good movie. We deserve and should demand better. Comments from young people
Neutral - The best part of this movie was the tiny clip after the credits
roll when Napoleon is on a horse. This movie really had no plot, so the
only humor was situational. This movie shouldn’t offend anyone but it can
get quite dull. I was expecting to leave with a stomach ache from
laughing, instead it was from the candy. Positive - Napoleon Dynamite is the most “odd” film I have seen since “Big Fish.” The storyline is rather random, and a main theme is not readily apparent, but I realized at the end of the movie that the moviemakers were not trying to make a blockbuster, they were trying to let the audience live in Napoleon’s shoes and in his world for an hour and a half. They did a wonderful job doing that. There is no backstory involved in this film; all the characters are strangers when you meet them. However, by the end of the movie I felt that the actors and director had done a good job
developing each character; although some might feel that the characters
were underdeveloped or thin, I felt (by the end of the movie) that I knew
each one well. If someone were to ask me “what would Napoleon do in this
situation,” I would know the answer. Positive - …This is THE most hilarious movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life!! There is nothing offensive in it at ALL! It’s the first movie I’ve seen in a long time that didn’t have cussing in it, and was like CLEAN! I couldn’t stop a laughing throughout the whole thing! But, it’s a weird kinda humor, so a lot of people won’t think it’s funny. You just have to be one of those people that laugh at everything and are easily amused and you’ll LOVE it!!… Positive - I saw this movie and I laughed SO hard…Teenagers will probably like it better than adults…But this is a hilarious movie! Positive - I must say, after the sixth time I still love this movie. I think that if you find this movie not funny or un-amusing than you have no idea what goes on in schools these days. I promise you that every child and/or teen acts this way out of kidding around…unless of course there is no sense of humor. This is what makes the movie so funny, I know people like
that, and it totally made sense..I could see how you could say this movie isn’t good or funny, but as …a pastor’s daughter in Miami, especially Miami, this is the kind of humor we need. “Dumb and Dumber” was my favorite movie despite the dirty comments and slight sexuality. The fact that “Napoleon Dynamite” beat that was a big change, and I’m proud to say that. I believe that if there are more movies like this we won’t need movies that are dirty and disgusting to make us laugh anymore…I think it’s safe to say that this is a clean movie… Neutral - This movie is really dumb. It has some funny moments but other
than that this movie was so boring! There was seemed to be really no point
in the movie. I felt like I wasted my money on such a dumb movie. Positive - I loved this movie! Preteens and teenagers are…likely to enjoy this movie than adults and kids. I highly recommend this movie. But if you hate movies with absolutly no plot (something like Monty Python and the Holy Grail), I wouldn’t waste your money. It all depends on what kind of humor you’re in to. Positive - I saw this movie yesterday with my brother, and we both thought it was really funny. I laughed so hard I cried. We can’t wait till it comes out on vidio so we can buy it. If you are looking for a hilarious movie to go see. You should see this one. Positive - All I have to say is: Wow. Not only was this film remarkable in
its simplicity, but Napoleon Dynamite left me with a sore jaw and cramped
side from laughing so hard. The beautiful thing is that I laughed at
something so unconventional compared to today’s popular crude style of
comedy, and it felt good. Positive - This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It has
spunk, originality, and humor. it doesn’t play off old tired out jokes.
All of the humor is fresh and funny.
The acting, especially by Jon Heber who plays Napoleon, is superb. All
of the characters are true to life and make you want to know mroe about
them. The movie isn’t like other movies for a major reason; it really
has no plot. It simply shows Napoleon doing what he does best: being
himself. He shows us that we are all special no matter how hip or uncool
we may be. That is a message that God wants us to know as well.
Napoleon didn’t follow the crowd, he stayed true to what he believed.
Just the same, we must follow what God’s standards are, not those of a
secular society. This is a masterpiece! Positive - When I saw the preview to this movie I knew it was a must see movie. I was right, my mom, my brother and I saw this movie and we almost laughed through the whole thing. Younger kids might not understand the
teen-life comedy, but for teens and adults it is a very good hilarious movie. Movie Critics
“…There are no life-altering conflicts, and very little learning, growing or hugging. It’s one of the most agreeable, most likable films I’ve seen in a while. I noticed that even when I wasn’t laughing, I was still smiling, happy just to be there…” “…If Wes Anderson had directed “Dumb and Dumberer,” it would have been a lot like “Napoleon Dynamite.”…” “…Napoleon Dynamite should be required therapy for anyone with a self-image problem…” “…a charming and often hilarious comedy about the ultimate high school nerd…” |
