Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Wonderful character development!

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Probably the worst film I have ever watched. Seriously what do people find it this movie to make them give it any different baffles me.

This movie really should have been bad. Low budget, no cast, almost no plot, yet it comes through in a big way. I've probably seen this movie 20 times and have not grown tired of it. The tone of the writing is so weird and spot on to rural Idaho. Napoleon is a loveable character who just wants to be somebody. And the aesthetics in this movie are so good. To top it off, it's just a freaking funny movie. It's the kind of movie that makes you wish Hollywood would take more chances. I love it so much.

Napoleon Dynamite is what you would have to call, by stealing the words of the legendary American television actor Jimmy J.J. Walker, DY-NO-MIIIITE!It's such a fun, out of step, unique movie experience. I saw it in theaters after many of my friends kept telling me how different and hilarious it was, and even though the bar was set so very high I still loved every minute of it and wanted more.Jon Heder owes his acting career to this, his break out role. And even though he has made some not so great choices since Napoleon Dynamite this role still stands out as a great movie and a very fine performance from him.Uncle Ricky, Napoleon's brother, his grandmother, Pedro, the romantic interest, Diedrich Bader as the crazy America-loving martial arts teacher, even the strange old egg farmer down the road (who for some reason dispenses with old cows by blasting them in the face with a shotgun while a busload of children drives by?)... the entire cast is fantastic.It's definitely offbeat with a plot unlike your typical comedy, but it's hilarious if you're willing to leave your expectations at the door and just let the bizarre, lovable characters take you for a ride.It's worth watching for the dance number alone!

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE is one of those low-budget comedies that asks you to be of the same mindset as the lead characters in order to gain enjoyment from it. Sometimes this works for me - I love the documentary American MOVIE because I can identify with the drive and identity of the filmmakers. In contrast, I found that NAPOLEON DYNAMITE left me cold. The characters are cold and sarcastic in that peculiarly American way, obnoxious in fact, and the film's constant ironic humour simply didn't appeal to me. I appreciate that it's different to your mainstream high school comedy, but at the same time I found this uninteresting and interminable.