Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Director:

Jared Hess

Writers:

Jared Hess (written by) and
Jerusha Hess (written by)

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

He's out to prove he's got nothing to prove.

Plot:

A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.

Plot Keywords:

Teen Movie | Class President | Animal Abuse | Young Director | Nunchuck

Awards:

10 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Jon Heder	...	Napoleon Dynamite
Jon Gries	...	Uncle Rico
Aaron Ruell	...	Kip
Efren Ramirez	...	Pedro
Diedrich Bader	...	Rex
Tina Majorino	...	Deb
Sandy Martin	...	Grandma
Haylie Duff	...	Summer Wheatly
Trevor Snarr	...	Don
Shondrella Avery	...	Lafawnduh
Bracken Johnson	...	Randy
Carmen Brady	...	Starla
Ellen Dubin	...	Ilene
J.C. Cunningham	...	Jock #1
James Stevens	...	Jock #2 (as James Smooth)

Also Known As:

Bus otoko (Japan) (DVD title) [ja]
Dynamiitti Napoleon (Finland) [fi]
Napoleon Dynamite (Canada: French title) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

82 min | Canada:86 min | USA:86 min (Sundance Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:6 | Canada:G | Portugal:M/6 | USA:PG (certificate no. 40773) | Ireland:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Franklin, Idaho, USA

Company:

Access Films

Trivia:

Behind-the-scenes at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, Fox Searchlight engaged in a bidding war with Warner Independent Pictures over the distribution rights to this movie, until Fox Searchlight put in a last-minute bid of over $3 million, and won. They would later join forces with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films to distribute the film, a mere 17 days before its release.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Napoleon is yelling at Rico to tell him, "Grandma says to go home 'cause you're ruining everyone's lives and eating all our steak," the door behind Napoleon is alternately open/closed between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Kid on Bus: What are you gonna do today, Napoleon?
Napoleon Dynamite: Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Just Like Heaven (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Rose

Best movie of 2004

This movie is a genx love fest and it made me feel better than any movie I have ever seen.

Essentially, this movie is a remake of "welcome to the dollhouse" and a lot of the other slacker-esque movies of that era. The film follows the misadventures of a complete loser (Napoleon Dynamite is a near sighted high school kid with a penchant for midevil warriors and tall tales), his best friend (the new kid in town, a Mexican immigrant who must comprehend life in rural Idaho), their shared love interest (she is deliciously quirky on her own), and a few other random characters (Napoleon's scheming "get rich quick" uncle and his internet chatroom obsessed loser 32-year-old-but-still-living-at-home brother).

In terms of story, this one is tops. All of the "good" characters grow and become much more than they were when the movie began. This film celebrates friendship at it's basest level and demonstrates the triumph of good people above overwhelming odds.

The true appeal of this movie though, for me, was the close attention that the director paid to making this movie feel like the early 1990's or late 1980's. Characters wear zubbas and hand out frienship bracelets. Even the vocabulary the actors use comes from this era (when was the last time you called someone "retarded", for example), but it is done so in such a genuine manner. The music and the style are very appropriate, and you can really feel the social awkwardness of Napoleon and his friends.

While this movie was made in many ways to appeal to those who can most relate to the awkward years of growing up (the unpopular kids, the new kid, the midevil warrior obessed clique, the metal heads, the stoners, all the general low lifes you probably associated with, or possibly were at school), this will nevertheless appeal to everyone else. The comedy is not made to be knee slapping, but it's sublety is wonderful and I found myself laughing throughout the entire film.

If you have ever rooted for the underdog, this is the movie for you. I can't spoil the ending for you, but for real, no movie has ever made me feel as happy and as inspired as this one. I can't wait to see what this director comes up with next!