Napoleon Dynamite [Blu-ray] by Fox Searchlight

First off, if you haven’t seen this movie, you’re probably either living under a rock or you’re Uncle Rico trying to relive your high school football days. This film is like that one weird kid in class who somehow becomes the legend of the school for doing absolutely nothing… and it’s absolutely brilliant!The movie follows Napoleon, a frizzy-afro-haired, moon boot-wearing, tater tot-pocketing teenager whose social skills are as smooth as coarse sandpaper. He’s the kind of guy who would take a glamour shot with a liger (that’s a lion-tiger mix, bred for its skills in magic, obviously, gosh).Now, let’s talk about the plot – or the lack thereof. It’s basically a series of awkward events strung together by even more awkward silences. You’ve got Napoleon’s friend Pedro running for class president with campaign promises of building herds of wild stallions, and there is an iconic dance scene. Napoleon busts out moves that look like he’s simultaneously fighting off a swarm of bees and trying to signal a plane for landing.The dialogue is so cringeworthy that it loops back around to being comedic gold. Lines like “Your mom goes to college” and “Tina, you fat lard, come get some dinner” are delivered with the emotional range of a teaspoon, and it’s hilarious. And the fashion? Oh, the fashion. It’s like a thrift store threw up on the characters. Napoleon’s brother, Kip, is basically the OG hipster with his oversized glasses and vest, and don’t even get me started on Uncle Rico’s time-traveling van.As I said in the title, “Napoleon Dynamite” is a masterpiece of the mundane. It’s a film that teaches us that it’s okay to be different, to be awkward, and to love ligers. It’s a slow burn that leaves you wondering, “What did I just watch?” and yet, you can’t help but quote it for years on end.

This movie is so funny!

I saw this goofy weird flick years ago and tried to get my wife to watch it with me. It reminded me of how weird my 1970's high school experience was. But recently she heard an NPR review of how the film was made on a shoestring budget so we watched it together recently and just laughed. I guess it's the 20 year anniversary of the film. Anyway, Vote for Pedro.

One of my very favorite movies. So awkward and clunky, but in the best possible way because it so closely resembles real life in so many ways.

I remember those days in high school when it was just as hard for others to understand you as it may have been for you to understand them. I went to a somewhat big school so their were quite the mix of students, clubs, and unfortunately and inevitably clique's. Their were the jocks, the nerds, the eccentric artistic types, pompous snobs,Goths, class clowns and pranksters, and even some foreign students. No doubt one could always feel themself in a much better social status by belonging to a clique. Sometimes you'll belong to either one that's not especially popular and/or has few members or just not be clique material at all. Other than that some will feel that their worth doesn't need to be measured by a clique in the first place. High school has it's many posers and real people. I feel that this movie finds a fascinating way to make one think about all of those elements.Also this movie does a good job of examining the poor and struggling versus the higher class and more well to do. The exaggerations that this movie goes into with all of that are quite funny and relatable without being too mean-spirited.As this movie is in no way plot heavy it does showcase some funny, interesting, and all around zany characters. Also it's quite quotable as well. In this movie you are introduced to Napoleon Dynamite. A social outcast who's moody and deadpan, gets bullied at times, likes to make up stories, and has few friends. Napoleon's brother Kip is a suck up, a dork, he's self-righteous, is only a little more tactful than Napoleon, and in general is an all around loser. Uncle Rico who frequently relives his high school football hey days, he's a free-loader, an instigator, and while he and Kip get along just fine, Uncle Rico and Napoleon totally hate eachother. Deb is a sweet girl who's just as socially awkward as Napoleon if not more, she was given the task to sell friendship bracelets door to door, she works at a local photo shop, and she has a deep connection with Napoleon. Pedro is a lively and lovable Mexican teen of whom was sent locally to Idaho, he and Napoleon become fast friends, Pedro wants a girlfriend, other than that Pedro shares in Napoleon's interests and wishes to win as school president to be respected and to stand out. Grandma is the caretaker of Napoleon and Kip who loves to do dangerous and extreme things to the point of getting wounded. Summer Wheatly is gorgeous, hot, outgoing, highly popular, but unfortunately she's a big snob. Those are the central characters to focus on. The rest aren't as important.Some Facts About The Film: Director: Jared Hess, Producers: Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, Sean C. Covel, and Jory Weitz. Musical score by John Swihart. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures for North America and Paramount Pictures internationally. Budget: $400,000. Box Office: 46.1 million dollars. Cinematography: Munn Powell Theatrical release: June 11, 2004.The funniest scene of all will always be when Napoleon disco dances on stage to Cosmic Girl by Jamiroquai. Certainly Napoleon and Uncle Rico locking horns is really hysterical. Kip's ridiculous poser behaviors are very hilarious. When the grandmother says,"Makes yourselves a freakin' Quesadilla". is another good laugh.The friendship between Napoleon and Pedro is a great reminder of what a worthwhile and loyal friendship in high school is like. Deb may not be very pretty but she is that sweet girl that is the right kind of girl to want to have as a girlfriend. Napoleon keeping his tater tots in his pocket certainly reminds me of any time that I didn't have time to eat all of my lunch so I would bring a ziploc bag and pack it for later.All in all, as I don't normally find movies with clean humor to be funny nor do I normally care for a movie that's plot light and character heavy, I can't deny that with this movie's charm, zany and quirky characters, quotable lines like "Sweet or "Lu-cky", it's hilarious exaggerations about clicques, class, and popularity, chief characters that are likable and only a couple that aren't, Jon Heder staying perfectly in character throughout the movie, great cinematography, and it's non mean-spirited nature, are all things that make this movie one that's worth giving a try. Hopefully one day there will be a sequel.

Seriously funny, it literally reminds me of my childhood 🤣

15/10. What a classic

Llegó antes de tiempo y está en español

Muy buena película, me parece que es el mejor papel que ha hecho Jon Heder, luego le sigue Blades of Glory. Esta cinta es para coleccionarse, definitivamente.

On aime cet humour propre aux films indépendants américains. Dans la lignée d'un little miss sunshine ou Juno ce film nous fait sourire et rire du début à la fin !