Napoleon Dynamite, American Hero

by Susan Griffin

I live in a pretty sheltered little world.

I like to think the best of folks most of the time and am pretty gullible. I also trust too easily and am an easy target for practical jokes or tricks.

So at first, part of me did not trust Napoleon Dynamite.

Surely the title character is there to make fun of a certain type of person. Or maybe the secret is that everyone watches the movie when they are stoned or something. I feel sure that the movie can't be that sincere and honest and funny and original--there must be some inside joke that I am not in on.

But after watching it for the fourth time, I am beginning to believe it's not a ruse.

Because Napoleon Dynamite is a hero who is as tenacious and goofy as they come.

The sparse dialog is dense and shimmery like mercury, causing me to repeat lines to my husband ad nauseam. (Except I don't think he minds because he's talking Napoleonese to me, too!) I find that when something good happens now, I say, "Yessssssss!" If the situation is exceptionally awesome, I add a clenched-fisted slot-machine pantomime with the word. If I am asked whether I want to participate in something, I do not reply with, "Why certainly! I would love to!" but with "HECK YEAH!"

I watched every single extra feature on this DVD. I watched the movie once with the commentary on and was glad to hear that the writers, Jared and Jerusha Hess, based many of the scenes in the film on things that had really happened to them when they were growing up. The movie was also shot on location in Jared Hess's home town. They used his high school in the film and all of the extras in the movie were students at the school. It was then that I realized the honesty of this film is what appeals to me most. And that this movie is not joking but is utterly sincere.

Napoleon Dynamite (played by Jon Heder) careens through life at full speed, whether he is running away from failed interaction with the oh-so-adorable Deb (played by Tina Majorino) or hurling casserole at his grandmother's pet llama, Tina. He is a loner on the tetherball court of life until a new student, Pedro (Efren Ramirez), befriends him. Soon, Napoleon, Deb, and Pedro form a powerful geek trinity and plot a successful endeavor into the world of high school politics.

The side stories involving Napoleon's brother Kip (Aaron Ruell) and Uncle "Ruins Everyone's Lives" Rico (Jon Gries) keep the movie going at a fast, fresh pace. Even though most of these faces are not familiar, a cameo by Diedrich Bader (whom I know best as Oswald on The Drew Carey Show) starts the movie off with the first of many scenes that leave me smiling with awe and delight. I noticed Jon Gries's wig first but quickly recognized Lazlo Hollyfeld from Real Genius under those perfectly coiffed locks.

While parts of this movie are vaguely reminiscent of a very innocent Beavis and Butt-Head, Napoleon Dynamite contains no blood, nudity, sex, or profanity. The DVD release includes the original short film, Peluca. This is the basis for Napoleon Dynamite and is just as witty and honest as the feature-length production. I think this is a good movie for anyone thirteen or above; it is rated PG on the back of the DVD.

But to me, the best surprise of all was Tina Majorino.

Shyly running with her arms stick straight, she bounds onto the screen in her stirrup pants and side-ponytail looking so cute that I just wanted to buy her whole Caboodle full of hand-woven boondoggle key chains. It took me about half the movie to realize that this was the heartbreaking little girl from Corrina, Corrina (among other films where she is equally adorable). Well, she's all grown up now and is a joy to watch. She shows her character's innocence as well as her strength through her earnest, thoughtful dialog. I could go on and on about her, but instead I will just get to the awards:

Most Unpredictable Plot Moment: Okay, I was just kidding on this one. There's no predicting this movie from the moment Napoleon urges Kip to bring his Chapstick to school because his "lips hurt really bad" to when he gets down off the horse at the second ending of the movie. (Yes, there's more after the credits, y'all!) A few of the highlights are precision steak throwing, high-tech bicycle ramp stunts, big sleeves, and Haley Duff.

One Scene (of many) That Causes Shocked Laughter: The way Napoleon feeds Tina the llama by roughly throwing spoonfuls near the stoic creature. I didn't want to laugh, but he keeps saying, "TINA, YA LARD, GET SOME FOOD!" It's almost like Tina is the one outlet for Napoleon's frustrations, but he is still afraid that she will start to chase him or something. The commentary reveals that the scenes between Napoleon and Tina had to be edited down because Jon Heder couldn't stop laughing during the takes.

All the Geeks Cheered When: Napoleon successfully wooed Deb on the tetherball court by saying "I caught you a delicious bass."

Best Badass Moment: When Napoleon uses his newly honed hip-hop/Solid Gold dance moves to help his friend Pedro do better in the race for class president. Pedro is up against Summer (Haley Duff) but Napoleon's awesome skills will not be ignored.

It Is An Instant Cult-Classic Because: Just about every line in this movie is quote-worthy. Not since Pirates of the Caribbean have I had so much fun with movie dialog! And I know that my reaction to anyone who asks whether I want to watch this movie again will be, "HECK YEAH!!"