Napoleon Dynamite

Family friendly, quirky, ridiculously quotable, hilarious, and the biggest, puffiest sleeves. This is the best movie ever made... Like anyone can even know that, Napoleon. Now go make yourself a dang quesadilla.

This is such an iconic movie and something I recommend everyone to watch. It might seem corny but the reality is much more than that. Watch the love story open up and the trials of life that are taken in stride. No drama, no issues with life and the genuine truth of life. Magnificent movie.

Watched for family movie night and no one couldn't stop laughing!

This movie changed me. Made me feel things I had never felt before. BEAUTIFUL soundtrack, comedy gold, and just an overall fantabulous movie. 10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND

Best movie EVER… GOSH!!

In high school, I was one of the nameless, faceless rabble who drew little attention, maintained a low profile, and caused little trouble all in the hopes of getting out relatively unscathed, a goal I managed to accomplish, partly due to my sometimes intimidating presence, but mainly because I was able to fit in, sort of like a fish within a shoal...but there were those who weren't so fortunate, as obvious physical characteristics or personality traits (or both) tended to enunciate their presence regardless of vain attempts to `blend in' or enjoy the anonymity I, and those like me, tended to take for granted. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) is a film about one of those individuals. The film, written and directed by Jared Hess, takes place in a small Idaho town and stars Jon Heder as the title character (he reminded me a lot of Timothy Busfield's character of Arnold Poindexter in the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds). Also appearing is Jon Gries (Real Genius, Fright Night Part II), Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez (Kazaam), Tina Majorino (she played the little girl with the map on her back in Kevin Costner's flopperino Waterworld), and Haylie Duff, sister to the more famous Hillary Duff, who both share a surname that's the same as Homer Simpson's favorite alcoholic beverage, Duff Beer. Napoleon Dynamite is an odd character for sure, with his shaggy red afro, moon boots (he wears them year `round), and t-shirts usually featuring those glossy iron-ons so popular in the 70's (he seems to purchase much of his wardrobe at the local thrift store) with a penchant for drawing mythical creatures, boasting about fictional girlfriends who live in other states (don't they always?), and touting his non-existent martial arts abilities, "You know, there's like a b*tt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff". Oh yeah, he breathes mostly through his mouth, and his vernacular includes, but isn't limited to, the liberal usage of such words like sweet, flippin', gosh, freakin', and heck, and he, along with his 32 year old brother Kip (Ruell), live with their grandmother, who owns a llama named Tina. After an ATV accident sends grandma to the hospital, Uncle Rico (Gries) arrives to watch over the boys, and involves Kip in his schemes to make some sweet cash. Napoleon, meanwhile, finds a friend in a newly arrived Hispanic student named Pedro (Ramirez) and he and their shy and kinda dorky friend Deb (Majorino) assist Pedro in his bid to become the next student body president, their competition being Summer (Duff), member of the cheerleading squad and the most popular girl in school. Do the trio have a chance in beating the juggernaut that is Summer? Perhaps, but it requires Napoleon to pull forth from within something no one would have realized he had, not even himself... The film is very odd...it's kind of a mix of the Coen brothers (Fargo, Raising Arizona), John Waters (Crybaby), and the earlier films of John Hughes (Sixteen Candles). There's not much of a story at the beginning, more of a series of innocuous, unrelated, comical events, but later on we do see some development in this area with regards to Napoleon and Deb helping Pedro in his running for student body president. Some scenes will make little or no sense in relation to what you may perceive as the story, so my recommendation is to just let it go, and enjoy the film for what it is, whatever it is...the real fun lies within Heder and his complete submersion into the character of Napoleon, wallowing in his own uncoolness. Initially most will probably find him annoying and off-putting, but he sort of grew on me, and I actually found myself quietly rooting for him, in his most simple of endeavors (like trying to find a sweet fanny pack at the local thrift store), but don't get the wrong impression. This isn't a triumphant nerd film (the nerd beats the jocks and/or gets the head cheerleader in the end), but a character-driven slice of weirdness that has a tendency to amuse. The dialogue contains tons of quotable lines, and comes across genuine sense of realism. The composed music by John Swihart and chosen pre-recorded material used to make the soundtrack complemented the film very well. I think my favorite scene is when Napoleon discovers his uncle's crude time machine (which he purchased of the internet), and decides to give it a try...does it work? Well, it does something, but I won't tell you what...one thing I really noticed was an absolute absence of profanity. I'm not against its' usage in films, and have even become used to it (for better or worse), so it was kinda refreshing. The picture quality, presented in both 1.85:1 anamorphic wide screen and 1.33:1 full screen (both sides of the DVD are used), looks sharp and clear, with the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio coming through very well. Special features are numerous and include a commentary track by the director/writer Hess, actor Heder, and producer Jeremy Coon, along with deleted scenes (with optional commentary), a short film entitled `Peluca' (basically the original concept for the character of Napoleon Dynamite, also with commentary), a number of MTV promotional spots, a still gallery, a featurette on the shooting of the final scene (keep watching the film after the credits to see a newly filmed 4 minute sequence shot a year after the film was released, made especially for the DVD release), and a promo for the FOX television series Arrested Development. The special features are split between the two sides of the discs, so be sure to flip it over once you've finished one side. My recommendation is to rent the film before buying, as it's not for everyone (I wouldn't bother showing it to my mother, as I know she wouldn't attempt to understand the where the humor comes from within this film). Cookieman108

Rewatched over and over again. Funny each time.

I could write a collage thesis on all the reasons I love this movie and how it impacted the culture of the entire earth but suffice to say; "it's awesome, it's incredible."

DVD nuevo, que ha llegado a tiempo. Una comedia de los mismo creadores de “Nacho libre”, que no hay que dejar de ver. EXCELLENT

Filmone. Guardato per la prima volta vent'anni fa, l'ho voluto in cineteca perché merita davvero come film e perché mi ricorda un tempo bello che non esiste più

Alles gut.

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 !

This is middle America as I imagine it to be! A group of hapless misfits who nonetheless share the American dream, or at least their version of it. John Heder in lead role of Napoleon is just brilliant. He carries the story as it drifts through days in his excruciatingly monochrome existence through the glorious Idaho backdrop. Jokes and humour come thick and fast yet many piquant moments in between. A great film uniquely American.