Rating: 
Summary: Geek Love
Review: Napoleon Dynamite is the story of a small town kid trying to find his way through the maze of high school, friendships, family, and romance. Unfortunately Napoleon encounters the roadblocks of an insane family, a total lack of social skills, and a geeky appearance. I loved this movie. We all knew Napoleon Dynamite in high school. Hell, some of us were Napoleon Dynamite in high school. It's that feeling of connection that makes this film so fun and heart-warming. There were a few moments in the movie in which I knew I was laughing at the awkwardness of this geeky kid, but more often, I knew that I was laughing at myself, at the awkwardness that I felt as a kid. And who among us hasn't been morbidly embarrassed by our family members just as Napoleon is.
Rating: 
Summary: Vote For Pedro!
Review: No wonder Fox Pictures snapped this Sundance crowd-pleaser up! 'Napoleon Dynamite' is a hysterical comedy about and awkward teen growing up in Idaho. With a chatroom-addicted older brother, a dune buggying grandmother, an uncle trying to recapture his past, a Mexico-born new (and only) best friend Pedro, and a llama, first-time director/writer Jared Hess has created a gem! It plays as if Wes Anderson and Todd Solondz remade an 80's John Hughes' film. Though not as "deliberate" as Anderson, "dark" as Solondz, or "cheezy" as Hughes, Hess captures the essence of each. Did I forget to mention a great 80s soundtrack featuring Alphaville and When In Rome? Don't miss this film if you enjoy offbeat, quirky comedies...and don't forget to Vote For Pedro.
Rating:
Summary: "Napoleon" Is Simply Dynamite
Review: The delightfully original film "Napoleon Dynamite" follows the life of a geeky teenager of the same name, and through his misadventures at his high school and at home in Preston, Idaho. This film first began to delight audiences at the Sundance Film Festival, and now that it has been nationally released across the country, I finally got the chance to see why. It is a movie that doesn't seem to bother with an intricate storyline, but is simply tales from Napoleon's everyday life, small events to an outsider but from his perspective, his whole world. This, in a sense, makes the picture a more realistic depiction of teenage life. The character of Napoleon, brought to life by Jon Heder, is a caricature of a high school teenager. With a tuft of brownish hair, glasses, and a permanent look of confusion, getting pushed against lockers by popular jocks are regular occurrences for Napoleon, and strange behaviors as talking about hunting werewolves or saving tatertots in his pants pockets for later seem normal to him. He is delightfully quirky, and it makes the audience root for him as the unlikely hero. From his adventures at school with his friends Deb (Tina Majorino) and Pedro (Efren Ramirez), to his life at home with his geeky 31-year-old brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), his football crazed Uncle Rico (Jon Gries), and his llama Tina, Napoleon brings a unique charm to the screen that is only enhanced by the crazy characters around him. "Napoleon Dynamite" is certainly one of the most original and strangely hilarious films of the year, and thanks to the brilliant script co-written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, the direction by Jared Hess, and the performances by all members of the cast, it is sure to win over any audience member, as quickly as it won me over.
Rating:
Summary: The Prince of Preston
Review: This is a small film, a very good one, told large. The director, Jared Hess, is a 24 year old wunderkind from the barrens of Preston, Idaho, and he has created a gem; a cousin to the Coens. This is a comedy that will sneak up on you, the stuff of belly laughs. Last year he did a 9-minute short film, PELUCA, starring Jon Heder, and it seems to have been the outline for this feature film. Hess is from Preston, and he filmed it as only a resident could; full of empty landscapes, lonely roads, farmers, ranchers, and rednecks. A scene where Napoleon gets a job for the day on a chicken ranch is worth the price of admission. There have been numerous comparisons for this movie to WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, and RUSHMORE. But for me, this film stands firmly on its own. It plays out like an absurdist straight drama that also happens to be funny. It is reminescent of some of the best moments in the Coen Brother's RAISING ARIZONA. The film was a big hit at Sundance, and it has been distributed well; a lucky break for Hess. Wouldn't it be wonderful if more of the youth of our country could rally behind this tiny epic, and create it as a cult film; that for a moment they step away from the commedia del raunchy that they mostly immerse themselves in; that they actually laugh at themselves, the way they really are, just kids struggling to grow up? The 13-30 year old demographic dictates our art, our music, and our movies. This little film could go a long ways in restoring the missing heart, the naivete and grace to the comedic genre. One real plus for me was the odd wholesomeness of this movie. There was zero profanity. Most of the time when a script deletes realistic high school vernacular, and changes the language to a lot of goshs, dangs, hecks, frigging, and freaking, it usually morphs quickly into the landscape of the lame. But somehow, Hess makes the lack of profanity work, and we don't miss it. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called Jon Heder," geek deadpan perfection." He loved the film, and directs us," to laugh until it hurts." Heder is a lanky beanpole with a red Afro, all Adam's apple and oversized glasses, and overbite. At first glance one sees a young Yahoo Serious, or a Scott "Carrot Top" Thompson. But no, Heder is more natural, more believable, more absurd, and wonderfully unselfconscious. He is less the over-the-top screamer. In his best moments, like when he played tetherball with himself, or practiced his killer dance moves in his room, he reminded me of some of the great clowns; like a young Jerry Lewis, and even the precursory shadings of the great ones like Jackie Gleason in GIGOT, or Jacques Tati. Heder is Napoleon Dynamite, a prince of Preston, a nerdish Conan out to slay demons, or maybe just to get laid. The setting for the film seems to be the early 1990's. Napoleon, and his older brother, Kip, live with their grandmother, played by Sandy Martin, who does a great turn as a biker grandma, who still dates, eats entirely too much steak, and loves her llama.
Aaron Ruell, as the brother Kip, a 32 year old who has been a nerd for so long he is oblivious to it, does a fine job with the role. He lives in front of his computer, logging countless hours in chatrooms, searching for cyber-love, running up huge internet bills. Tina Mjorino, as girlfriend Deb, was wonderfully wacky, off-center, and loveable. A former child star, from films like WATERWORLD, she is 19 years old now, and she is good enough to be slugging it out with the likes of Thora Birch, Jena Malone, and Christina Ricci for those Odd Girl parts. She found the sweet quirkiness and heartfelt honesty of her character. Jon Gries, an actor since 1968, son of famed film director Tom Gries, was very good as the arrogant deluded ignorant Uncle Ricco; a man stuck in the past, reliving a fake fantasy that when he played high school football he might have been a great star, even turned pro...if his stupid coach had not left him on the bench so much. Efrem Ramirez, as Napoleon's best friend, Pedro, is a veteran actor from 10 films. His babyface, and deadpan delivery served him well. He did an excellent job. When he decided to run for class president, against a popular cheerleader, the tempo begins to shift, and we begin to see that this sad and funny drama was going to bend into a kind of fantasy tale; with underdogs rising to the occasion, taking on overwhelming odds, and of course, emerging victorious. In smaller roles we first find Diedrich Baker as the karate teacher Rex, and he is the most seasoned veteran of the cast, having appeared in 33 films. He had a lot of fun with this part, prancing around in his American flag "bad-boy" pants, and pushing around the local kids while taking their money. Then there is Shondrella Avery appearing as Kip's cyberlove La Fawnduh. She is one hot mama, and she seems to like short skinny white dudes. When Kip boards the bus with her, bandana on his head, glasses in his pocket, suitcases in his hands, leaving home for the first time, we realize the film has come full circle, and now is a fairy tale. I had approached this film skeptically, not being sure how I would react or relate to it...but it won me over. It was not just another dumb comedy that would disentegrate two points off my intelligence quotient just by sitting through it. Rather, it was a fine little film, large on ambition, that I came to care about. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could give it six stars
Review: This is truly the feel-good movie of this year; there's not a curse word to be heard, no more violence than a few noogies, and no sex at all. Still, I defy you not to want to cheer at the end of this. The story of misfit Napoleon Dynamite and his miniscule circle of friends in rural Idaho, this movie manages to present the total nerd characters with their nerdiness intact, as well as their inherent dignity and humanity. I'm not going to tell you one plot point, because I want you to have the total pleasure of discovering them for yourself. The friend of mine who saw this at Sundance told me that a jaded audience of Hollywood types 2000 strong cheered, stomped their feet and clapped their hands raw at this movie. You will too. No log off and go see this right now.
Rating: 
Summary: Are you kidding me?
Review: This movie could suck a golf ball through a garden hose. At one point, Napoleon remarks that the home video of his estranged relative was, "the worst movie ever." Upon hearing this, my subconscious awakened me from my Napoleon Dynamite induced slumber to retort, "No...I think there is another winner in that category." This film is not only not funny, it is also a waste of money, and criminally lame. But hey, we live in a capitalist society where demand spawns supply. If you are looking for ways to torture yourself, I think head-butting a nail gun may be less painful.
Rating: 
Summary: Forced cliché
Review: Thursday, February 10, 2005 / 3 of 5 / Forced cliché
I wasn't sure what to expect from this film going in, having heard it was an indie favorite. Yes, it was quirky but was it likable? Not really. Oddball outcast Napoleon Dynamite struggles in a world he never made, while is simpering brother and nostalgia ridden hairpiece of an uncle provide backup fodder. Character development was minute to non-existant. Granted, Napoleon and brother `came out' of their shells, but we are left wondering about the rest of this odd Idaho world. Uncle Rico while at times amusing should have stayed in the basement of Real Genius. The lead is simply not very compelling and a bit too force clichéd for those of us who did our high school time in the 80's. I could see where this could earn cult status, but it simply didn't hit me the right way like the definitive snarky HS epic, Heathers.
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