Napoleon Dynamite

USA 2004, 94 minutes
Dir. Jared Hess
Rating: [PG]
Genres: Comedy / Independent, Youth

Feat. Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino

Aroview: Destined for cult status, this plays like a high school comedy made by its alienated students, with its quirky in-jokes and non-sequiturs aimed squarely over the heads of the crowd.

Pitching its 'comedy of indifference' between the do-it-yourself kitsch of John Waters and the fragmented off-beats of Wes Anderson (RUSHMORE), this has an 80s pop soundtrack and stylings ala DONNIE DARKO, with which it also shares its outsider sentiment. But it ekes out laughs where there rightly shouldn't be, especially in the quibbling banter between sneering uber-nerd N. Dynamite and his fey, equally snarky sibling.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Good Enough). Showing 1-3 of 3 member reviews.

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1 star (Turkey) Very boring. Wes Anderson does a similar thing sometimes, except he does it well. ~dr.strangelove
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3 stars (Good Enough) Best seen with friends, this indie comedy is both hilarious and cringe-worthy, with the bland deadpan comedy closely treading the line between funny and boring. Gosh! ~Tom H
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4 stars (Very Good) The life of Napoleon Dynamite, a hopelessly inept high school misfit whose only friend is the new Hispanic student, Pedro. It looks a lot like the 80's, but with the Internet. Loved the ending - very original and heaps of fun. ~GenXGirl