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Jon Heder,
Jon Heder,
Jon Gries,
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Jared Hess,
Jared Hess
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: 20th Century Fox
: Comedies, Independent, Coming of Age
: 95 min.
: English, Spanish
: English, Spanish, French
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The directorial debut of filmmaker Jared Hess, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky, offbeat comedy set in the small Idaho town of Preston. Jon Heder stars in the titular role, a carrot-topped oddball with a decidedly eccentric family that includes his llama-loving, dune-buggy enthusiast grandmother. The story centers on the local high school's race for class president. Using some nontraditional means, Napoleon is determined to help his pal Pedro (Efrem Ramirez) run a winning campaign and defeat popular girl Summer (Haylie Duff). Also starring The Drew Carey Show's Diedrich Bader, Napoleon Dynamite premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
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| Good for a light-hearted, escapist laugh
by HPearson
October 20, 2007 - 9:59 AM PDT
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| I'm not typically a fan of this genre of film, i.e. comedies that are so outrageous in their caricaturing that they are completely parodical and devoid of any depth. But for some reason I liked Napoleon Dynamite. It could be the setting - I grew up in Utah and my mom's from a small town in Idaho, so I connected with the scenery and characters in the film in a strangely familiar and comforting way. It's funny and yeah, full of cliches, but isn't that the whole point of a caricature? It works because it plays on our collective disdain for geeks and our even stronger disdain for the spoiled, popular, princess archetype, and especially speaks to the insecure geek in all of us. |
| It's Dynamite!
by JCunningham
August 14, 2005 - 1:04 AM PDT
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2 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| All the nay-sayers can go jump in a lake -- ND rocks. It's subtle, peculiar, quirky, deliberately pastel and well scrummbed. You have to grasp the core first.. this was made by Mormons about Mormons. No, they don't come right out and say this, but it's dead obvious. It's a peek into the mundane existence of the every-man geek in High School, but with a touch of something divine... the meek inherit the earth in this movie, and that's probably what throws most people off who dislike it. For once the outcasts have their day, thanks to Napoleon Dynamite, who haphazardly changes reality simply by being the immovable object (see ANGUS for a similar theme and equally good movie). You have to be able to laugh at the substancelessness of this Idaho Mormon mediocrity thriving in the 21st century. Personally, I loved all the characters. I watch ND once a month just to see my favorite moments. Bought the soundtrack, too. |
| Too Much Hype = Giant Disappointment
by BrodiesGirl
June 25, 2005 - 5:37 AM PDT
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3 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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I did not enjoy this movie. It was a bit surprising, because so many people I know and trust enjoyed the movie. The hype may have effected my viewing, there is no real way to be certain.
My main problem with the movie: it has a real hard-on desire to be a Wes Anderson/Spike Jonze film. I believe the actors did a decent job with what they were given to work with. In fact, the actors played these boring and pointless characters to a tee.
While I am usually entertained by super dry humor, this movie simply did not deliver. It had WAY too much realitic dryness without the humor to save it. Perhaps that was the point of the movie? That it is just as boring as the pointless lives of the character? If that's true, it doesn't change the fact that the movie is still painfully boring and barely squeezed a single chuckle out of me.
booo.
Let's hope the next movie I see is entertaining or at the very least interesting/educating. I've been on a bad streak....
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.42)
541 Votes
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