Napoleon Dynamite

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Remember the film Napoleon Dynamite? Of course you do. At one point in time, everybody was talking about this film. It was on the tip of everyone's tongues. So, what is the big deal? Why did everyone make such a big fuss over it when it was released. Having seem the film, I can honestly say... I have absolutely no idea! I simply can't fathom what it is about this film that makes it such a success.

This review is gonna be rather interesting.

The film was released in 2004 as Jared Hess' directorial debut, and stars Jon Heder (The Benchwarmers, Blades Of Glory) as the eponymous character. He plays an unpopular nerd living in Idaho, who spends most of his school time drawing pictures, conceiving mental fantasies and avoiding bullies. Receiving mixed reviews at the time, it has since gone on to become a cult favourite, and probably it's most iconic quote 'Vote For Pedro' has adorned thousand of t-shirts since.

Now at this point I would give a summary of the plot, but that's just it, there isn't one. There is no continuous story in the film. It's basically what would happen if you took a camera and followed a mildy unhappy, eccentric geek for a several days and then compressed it into an hour and a half.

And that's basically what you get. We observe Napoleon as he lives his day to day live. He lives with his Grandma (who like quad biking at the nearby sand dunes) and his brother Kip (who spends most of his time talking to 'babes' online when he isn't training to be a 'cage fighter').When his grandma has an accident, their Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) comes to look after them, and hatches a money making scheme with Kip. One day at school, Napoleon comes across a new student from Mexico, Pedro Sánchez (Efren Ramirez), and the 2 of them become friends. Later he meets a shy girl called Deb (Tina Majorino), who he also befriends.

 The Pride of Idaho

And there you go. That's the film in a nut shell. We have 3 outcast, socially awkward friends who do various things in school and then do various this outside of school. There really is little more too it than that.

Trying to explain why this film is great is like trying to explain the mysteries of the Universe, considering it's complete absence of cohesive plot. I guess the main reason is the characters. They are all so bizarre and over-the-top, but all really likeable in their own way. Even the antagonists like Uncle Rico are just so well played are comical that it's impossible not to like them. I think we can all see a bit of ourselves in Napoleon. Those times when we just didn't fit in a school, and just wished that our lives could be much different.

In the end, this is just a totally harmless guilty pleasure. It contains nothing abrasive or controversial; no sex, violence or profanities. It also has some really funny moments, mainly due to Napoleon's total ignorance to social norms. But most all, it's just a very nice film. Loveable characters, a docile nature, some genuine humour and emotion, and palpable bond between our 3 high-school heroes. Put all this together, and you have one of cinema's biggest surprise hits, and an-round pleasant experience.