June 24, 2004
"Napoleon Dynamite": more amateur than explosive
The own promotional tagline of "Napoleon Dynamite," "He's out to prove he's got nothing to prove," couldn't sum up the pointless, mindless, yet occasionally funny film any better.
In his full length directorial and screenwriting debut, Jared Hess takes a shot at an awkward teen comedy. Unfortunately for Hess and co-writer Jerusha Hess, this fore-mentioned genre has already been perfected by Todd Solondz' darker-spirited "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and Wes Anderson's "Rushmore." Unlike its impressive predecessors, "Napoleon Dynamite" lacks many significant features of a substantial film, including well accessed wit along with a developed storyline and plot.
The movie follows the daily misadventures of the lead character- a socially inept and quirky teenager (who ironically enough looks a good deal like the character Dudley of Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums"), Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). In his small typically barren Suburban town, Dynamite tries to find a girlfriend, makes friends with fellow loners Deb (Tina Majorino) and Pedro (Efren Ramirez),and deals with the shenanigans of his hopeless romantic internet dating addict brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), sleazy dirtbag uncle, Rico (Jon Gries), and the family's needy pet llama.
Additionally, the writers throw in many random unexplained and never resolved events and situations. For one example, in an oddly amusing scene, Rico and Kip buy a time machine to travel back into 1982, but nothing of this eccentric behavior is clarified or even brought up after its brief featured segment. Combined with a lack of screenplay clarity, there is not even a suitable narration to carry the movie through, and the film only jumps from one conversation to another idiotically or slapstick styled comedy moment.
Because of the deprivation of elaboration of the various character stories entwined in the film, many of the scenes, near budding plot twists and developments are only left to fade into the movie's inconcise and blurry plotline background, along with its pattern of no direction. As well as damaging the tangibility of the movie's plot, the lack of material also causes the characters to seem more like talking pieces of props rather than people who have emotions, personalities and thoughts or even maybe, just maybe grow up and mature.
From all of the bland characters and lack of constructed screenplay development, "Napoleon Dynamite" runs similarly to a prolonged Saturday Night Live skit, humorous to an extent but ruined by a strong overtone of unnerving repetition of the same gags and immature dialogue comedy. Seeing Napoleon fall on his face, say "tight" and other slang words in his breathy monotonous voice, or attempt some dance moves will only sprout laughter so many times.
Despite how various déjà vu moments and obnoxious revisits on earlier parts of the film is used, the movie somehow finds a way to stay somewhat humorous even in the end (although not as much so as it is in the beginning), mainly thanks to Heder's performance as Napoleon, which stands out next to the rest of the cast's dull and cliched performances. Heder unlike the rest of the actors and actresses, at least almost finds a way to make Napoleon his own breed of a dejected,outcasted and cynically comedic loser.
Although it's no comedy in the ranks of the tops, or even a good film overall, "Napoleon Dynamite" does a few entertaining movements. Putting aside the prominent flaws of the film, it is almost possible to leave smiling from the theater. However, "Napoleon Dynamite" is not to be thought of more than a simple brain dead excuse to get a scarce number of giggles from the outrageous antics of adolescent and high school life in American suburbia.
"Napoleon Dynamite" is rated PG for thematic elements and language and is playing at Landmark Bethesda Rowe Cinema and CO DuPont Circle 5 Theaters.
In his full length directorial and screenwriting debut, Jared Hess takes a shot at an awkward teen comedy. Unfortunately for Hess and co-writer Jerusha Hess, this fore-mentioned genre has already been perfected by Todd Solondz' darker-spirited "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and Wes Anderson's "Rushmore." Unlike its impressive predecessors, "Napoleon Dynamite" lacks many significant features of a substantial film, including well accessed wit along with a developed storyline and plot.
Heder in "Napoleon Dynamite."
The movie follows the daily misadventures of the lead character- a socially inept and quirky teenager (who ironically enough looks a good deal like the character Dudley of Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums"), Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). In his small typically barren Suburban town, Dynamite tries to find a girlfriend, makes friends with fellow loners Deb (Tina Majorino) and Pedro (Efren Ramirez),and deals with the shenanigans of his hopeless romantic internet dating addict brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), sleazy dirtbag uncle, Rico (Jon Gries), and the family's needy pet llama.
Additionally, the writers throw in many random unexplained and never resolved events and situations. For one example, in an oddly amusing scene, Rico and Kip buy a time machine to travel back into 1982, but nothing of this eccentric behavior is clarified or even brought up after its brief featured segment. Combined with a lack of screenplay clarity, there is not even a suitable narration to carry the movie through, and the film only jumps from one conversation to another idiotically or slapstick styled comedy moment.
Because of the deprivation of elaboration of the various character stories entwined in the film, many of the scenes, near budding plot twists and developments are only left to fade into the movie's inconcise and blurry plotline background, along with its pattern of no direction. As well as damaging the tangibility of the movie's plot, the lack of material also causes the characters to seem more like talking pieces of props rather than people who have emotions, personalities and thoughts or even maybe, just maybe grow up and mature.
From all of the bland characters and lack of constructed screenplay development, "Napoleon Dynamite" runs similarly to a prolonged Saturday Night Live skit, humorous to an extent but ruined by a strong overtone of unnerving repetition of the same gags and immature dialogue comedy. Seeing Napoleon fall on his face, say "tight" and other slang words in his breathy monotonous voice, or attempt some dance moves will only sprout laughter so many times.
Despite how various déjà vu moments and obnoxious revisits on earlier parts of the film is used, the movie somehow finds a way to stay somewhat humorous even in the end (although not as much so as it is in the beginning), mainly thanks to Heder's performance as Napoleon, which stands out next to the rest of the cast's dull and cliched performances. Heder unlike the rest of the actors and actresses, at least almost finds a way to make Napoleon his own breed of a dejected,outcasted and cynically comedic loser.
Although it's no comedy in the ranks of the tops, or even a good film overall, "Napoleon Dynamite" does a few entertaining movements. Putting aside the prominent flaws of the film, it is almost possible to leave smiling from the theater. However, "Napoleon Dynamite" is not to be thought of more than a simple brain dead excuse to get a scarce number of giggles from the outrageous antics of adolescent and high school life in American suburbia.
"Napoleon Dynamite" is rated PG for thematic elements and language and is playing at Landmark Bethesda Rowe Cinema and CO DuPont Circle 5 Theaters.
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It was beautiful.
It inspired me to dress up like Napolean for Holloween and learn his dance.
(You have to admit, when you saw him do his dance, no matter how crappy you thought the movie, you got a warm fuzzy for him, no?)
-nappy D and Me
As for Napoleon falling on his face, that incredibly stupid "do you take your bike off any sweet jumps" scene where he falls right off the bike. Also, I did "understand the form of comedy" of this film, it's merely a pathetic spin-off of much better geek comedies like "Welcome to the Dollhouse," mixed with horribly repetitive dialogue and awkward teenager situations. Maybe most people over the age of 13 just don't find that funny.
Any possible truth is the "tight" comment, it's easy to mix up that word with Napoleon's limited lines of "friggin'", "sweet" and "gosh" as well as other such hilarious slang words that are simply toooooooooooooo infinitely brilliant to not be seen as comedic genius.
The characters aren't bland? Give me a break, each character is only one sided: Napoleon's a loser, Summer's a popular snobby girl, and let's not forget the incredibly racist stereotypes the screenwriters incorporate through Pedro and LaFawnduh.
PS; why did you bring up Gries of all people in the film, he plays Uncle Rico, he's hardly a character worth mentioning if you're trying to make a point of how funny the acting is, maybe you meant Jon Heder who plays Dynamite?
i heart you!
This movie takes certain components of real daily life in this part of the country and incorporates them into the best movie ever. My wife and I still laugh uncontrolably every time we watch it.
Our opinion,,the two best lines: The part about Nesse and the part about Unlce Rico ruining their lives and eating all their steak.