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Review by Dustin Putman
3½ stars out of 4
"Napoleon Dynamite," which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival
to much fanfare, is a quirky, one-of-a-kind comedic gem. With echoes
in tone to Wes Anderson's "Rushmore," in style to Todd So londz's
"Welcome to the Dollhouse," and in feel to such adult-minded animated
television shows as "Daria" and "The Simpsons," writer-director Jared
Hess and cowriter Jerusha Hess have paid tribute to such influential
filmmakers and genres without feeling the need to copy them. In telling
the story of a group of lovable misfits at the bottom rung of the
social ladder who somehow find a way to overcome their woes and keep
marching forward, "Napoleon Dynamite" is one of the more consistently
charming and original motion pictures of the last few months. And
even when you aren't laughing out loud at the characters' antics and
Hess' droll humor, you won't be able to stop from smiling.
In the rural, desperately uneventful midwest town of Preston, Idaho,
17-year-old Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) stands out in a crowd. Equipped
with a full head of bushy red hair, almost always clad in snow boots,
and with an eternal blank stare, Napoleon trudges through the doldrums
of his dysfunctiona l home life and miserable high school experience
as if he has long since accepted his lowly existence and has learned
to remain indifferent to anything that comes his way. When Grandma
(Sandy Martin) is injured in a sand bike accident, smarmy Uncle Rico
(Jon Gries) is sent to stay with Napoleon and his unemployed, chat
room-obsessed 32-year-old brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), until she gets
out of the hospital. As Kip teams with Uncle Rico on a corny get-rich-quick
scheme and Uncle Rico begins to spread negative rumors around about
Napoleon to better himself, Napoleon finds an unexpected ally in new-kid-in-school
Pedro (Efren Ramirez). When Pedro decides to run for class president
against the popular, snobbish Summer Wheatley (Haylie Duff), he and
Napoleon begin a seemingly hopeless campaign. Meanwhile, Napoleon
befriends the shy Deb (Tina Majorino), a cute wallflower who might
just be his perfect match.
"Napoleon Dynamite" is light on a driving narrative, but hugely likable,
nonetheless, as it follows its affectionate, offbeat characters through
a few months in their shoes. Certain plot threads that threaten to
come off as cliches, such as the budding relationship between Napoleon
and Deb or the high school campaign for president, bypass where one
would naturally expect them to lead and feel brand-new because of
it. Most appreciably of all, director Jared Hess (a 24-year-old making
his promising feature debut) refuses to talk down to his audience
by spelling out every story development. He trusts that viewers are
more quick-witted than most films treat them (he would be right),
and so he spares us the more commonplace scenes that go along with
comedies about teenagers. For example, when Napoleon and Deb end up
dancing together at the school dance, their conversation is awkward,
but warm, leading to a silent reciprocal respect for each other that
transcends any dialogue Hess could have cooked up. And the scene,
for once, doesn't end in a kiss. Lat er, when Deb gets mad at Napoleon
over a misunderstanding, Hess drops the usual, tired apology and make-up
sequence for something that is far more quiet and honest.
More than anything, "Napoleon Dynamite" is a study in transcendent
simplicity. There are a lot of broad laughs, much of which comes from
Napoleon's outrageous behavior in certain circumstances, and some
that are more subtle, whether it be a zinger of a one-liner or a joke
that is carefully set up early on and paid off later. The portrayal
of Grandma's bike accident; the funky dance Napoleon learns (from
a tape called "D-Kwon's Dance Moves") that he puts to use during Pedro's
election; and the gift Kip's black Internet girlfriend, LaFawnduh
(Shondrella Avery), gives him are just a few of the comic highlights
in a movie that has countless others. No matter. All of the comedy
is successfully carried off without any winks to the audience, and
the characters have no idea that they are even in a comedy. That the
movie is so very funny and never unveils that it knows it is the biggest
key to great comedy. The second anyone shows that they know they are
funny is the second the spell is lifted and it stops making one laugh.
Fortunately, this never happens here.
As the outlandish title character, Jon Heder (making his major film
debut) superbly carries the film without ever seeming to try. Napoleon
walks through most of the film with a facial expression that resembles
a fog. Maybe he has been treated badly by his peers for so long that
he is worn out. Maybe he is unsure of whether or not to trust new
friends Pedro and Deb at the onset because he is afraid of getting
hurt. Or maybe it is the exact opposite, and he no longer is affected
by rejection, which is why he willingly hangs out with them. As kindred
spirit Deb, Tina Majorino is easily the standout. Once a wonderful
child actor in such films as 1994's "When a Man Loves a Woman," 1994's
'Corrina, Corrina," and 1995's 'Waterworld," Majorino ret urns after
a five year absence (her last project was 1999's television miniseries
of 'Alice in Wonderland") all grown up and proving that maturity has
only strengthened her abilities as an actress. Majorino is, at once,
adorable and deeply touching, nearly the female equivalent of Heder's
Napoleon. She makes her every moment on screen come alive.
"Napoleon Dynamite" is that rare motion picture that reminds you of
a lot of other films while, at the same time, being unlike any other
movie you have ever seen. Director Jared Hess makes it his own, both
through the unpredictably trajectory of the subplots and the innovation
with which he creates his ensemble. He also invigorates things with
peculiar, winning aesthetics; many of the fashions are right out of
the '70s, most of the nostalgic music selections (such as "The Promise"
by When in Rome and "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper) are from the
'80s, and the technology (the Internet, for example) is strictly of
a present-day men tality. It is as if this nowhere town in Idaho has
been stuck in a number of time warps, creating some weird sort of
meshing of random decades. Most important, director Hess never seems
to be laughing at his characters. Even when it starts to seem like
it, Hess is quick to confirm at every turn that he really adores them,
there is no question. By the time the lovely, lyrical final scene
of "Napoleon Dynamite" arrives, you have no choice but to nod in acknowledgment.
Finally, and once and for all, it is crystal clear why these characters
deserve to be loved.
Copyright © 2004 Dustin Putman
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out of 4
