Napoleon Dynamite rides into to the UK with the kind of success story that so many films try for, and never achieve. A small indie film made on a modest budget, the film, largely thanks to a lacklustre studio season, has pushed itself into the mainstream. A film like this rarely reaches such a wide audience, and so with Garden State (following in november), we have this years pair of cool indie films.
At least that's the theory. Napoleon Dynamite so desperately wants to be cool. It tries so hard by being so uncool that it should kind of loop back around again in coolness and become a cult favorite. The problem is that cult films cannot be created. They have to occur naturally. Anyone trying to make their film a cult one is almost certainly destined for failure.
Jon Heder plays the eponymous hero, a nerd who is well beyond the current trend of nerd chic. He is completely anti-social, not through others avoiding him, but by wanting to be this way. He hates everyone and isn't afraid to show it. Even as the film continues on, he only develops two friends: Pedro (Efren Ramierz), a guy he essentially uses for power, and Deb (Tina Majorino), a girl he has a crush on, but has no idea how to talk to.
At home we get to meet his brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), who is just as bad socially, and his Uncle Rico (Jon Gries), who has get rich quick schemes so stupid they wouldn't have even worked twenty years ago.
So far, so generic. All of the usual teen cliches are here, even if they are dressed up differently. The school popularity contest, the prom, and awkward interaction with the girl. Nothing is new here, it's just all made to look new. Sure, the film feels fresh, but looking underneath this one just sees the same tired formula.
My main problem with the film though is that there is nothing to connect to for the viewer. Napoleon is so unlikable that we really don't care whether he succeeds or not. The way he uses Pedro merely as a tool to run for class president should make us dislike him, but we're supposed to cheer him. This is common all the way through the film. Napoleon and the other characters features do crappy stuff, yet we're supposed to celebrate it.
The whole film runs on this mandate though. It's supposed to be a comedy, yet doesn't try for any jokes. Nothing here is particularly funny. I suppose some might find it amusing to laugh at the character and his situation, but for me, that just doesn't cut it. I want to laugh at something funny, not something that is ultimately rather sad. That isn't to say there aren't laughs to be had here. The film has it's moments where one has to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all, but these would be few and far between for a drama, and so stand no chance in a comedy.
It's cool to like this film, and I'm sure many will like it based solely on that without paying much attention to the details. That's nice for them, but I like my films to be based on the content rather than the style. Sure, the film feels fresh and has it's occasional moments of glory, but most of these come long after we have stopped caring.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Christopher Ettridge, Victor McGuire, Emma Amos, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Elizabeth Carling
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
I love this film it's one of my faves...On Monday I bought a Napoleon Dynamite A3 side poster to put up in my bedroom...It has a cartoon drawing of a Liger on it.....Vote for Pedro -Flash-
Ryan74 02.05.2005 18:45
Very good op. I saw this last night and I loved it!
Napoleon Dynamite is a new kind of hero, complete with a tight 'fro, sweet moon boots, and ... more
skills that can't be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his brother Kip and avoiding his scheming Uncle Rico. When two ...
He's out to prove he's got nothing to prove. From Preston Idaho comes Napoleon Dynamite ... more
(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 Mar...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Geeks ,social mis-fits will be laughing along whilst relating to the movie.. Disadvantages: Some people will not ''get'' this type of humour ..and will not relate to it whatsoever
bobbetta 02.03.2006 (15.06.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Napoleon Dynamite (DVD)
Advantages: Some great and memorable scenes, great acting, very funny, the best dance scene ever Disadvantages: Takesa a couple of viewings to 'get in to it'
Oct 5th, 2004
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