Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

"The cast playing these eccentric characters is magnificent...This is definitely one of the most unique comedies you'll see all year.  Eric Campos, Film Threat
"Thrusts us into a high school senior year like no other.  Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
"Jon Heder in the magnificent Napoleon Dynamite, is one of the most winning movie creations in years.  Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Editor's Note Jared Hess makes an unforgettable directorial debut with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, a hilarious, tender, and utterly original portrait of a truly eccentric character. Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) is a high-school outcast in every sense of the word. More interested in playing tetherball by himself and drawing pictures of his favorite animal, the "liger" (a combination of a lion and a tiger), Napoleon is ignored by everyone in his tiny hometown of Preston, Idaho. At home, things aren't much better: his uber-nerd older brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), and ultra-vain Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) are too busy with their own obsessions to give Napoleon the time of day. It isn't until a new student, Pedro (Efren Ramirez), arrives that Napoleon finds friendship and performs an act of brave defiance that makes him a true hero. Written by Hess and his wife, Jerusha, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE brilliantly captures the awkwardness of high school without succumbing to condescension. Most of this can be attributed to Heder, who steps into Napoleon's moon boots with a jaw-dropping flawlessness. The rest of the cast is just as natural, underplaying their roles and letting the comedy unfold without forcing any of the jokes. Add a hilarious soundtrack of 1980s hits and you have an instant classic, a crowd-pleasing riot that has an undeniably universal appeal.

	Aaron Ruell
	Deidrich Bader
	Efren Ramirez
	Haylie Duff
	Jon Gries
	Jon Heder
	Sandy Martin
	Tina Magorino
	Jared Hess - Screenplay
	Jared Hess - Director
	Jeremy Coon - Editor
	Jeremy Coon, et al. - Producer
	Jerusha Hess - Screenplay
	Munn Powell - Cinematographer

Rolling Stone
"Hess and his terrific cast -- Heder is geek perfection -- make their own kind of deadpan hilarity. You'll laugh till it hurts. Sweet." 06/24/2004 p.186

New York Times
"[O]dd, amusing....[Hess's] filmmaking style is well suited to the rhythms of small-town Western life." 06/11/2004 p.E15

USA Today
"The Hesses, who are only in their mid-20s, know how to set up gags and even capitalize on them." 08/20/2004 p.16D

Uncut
"[T]here's much that delights in this low-budget whimsical film..." 01/01/2005 p.157

Sight and Sound
"[T]he quiet determination with which this oddball trio navigate the pressures of adolescence provide the film' most affecting moments..." 01/01/2005 p.60-1

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
Napoleon Dynamite should be required therapy for anyone with a self-image problem. No matter how much of a loser a person believes himself to be, he couldn't possibly be in worse shape than the protagonist of Jared Hess' wickedly funny high school comedy. With a low-key sense of humor and without the slightest whiff of sentimentality, Hess delivers a film about geeks that makes Revenge of the Nerds look like the Hollywood tripe that it is. Napoleon Dynamite isn't about a cute, cuddly, inoffensive movie nerd; the main character is morose, antisocial, and has a working understanding of what happened in Columbine. There's plenty of humor in the film, but the movie is often a little uncomfortable to watch, and Napoleon is not an easy guy to like. Rooting for him takes effort.

Wall Street Journal 8 of 10
More than a deadpan comedy about oddball losers. This dork has his day, and this story has its touching subtext-growing pains relieved by unlikely hope. - Joe Morgenstern

Dallas Observer 9 of 10
It's charming. It's hilarious. It is perhaps the most beautifully crafted, lovingly rendered portrait of extreme geekitude ever to grace the screen. It's Napoleon Dynamite. - Melissa Levine