If “Napoleon Dynamite” were a coffee mug hanging in an office break room, it would be the mug that reads, “Don’t let the turkeys get you down.”
The main character Napoleon, played brilliantly by Jon Heder, is in high school, going through the motions of any normal teenager, except that Napoleon is anything but normal. He lives in a world of fantasy that dominates his reality. What makes Napoleon such a dynamic character is that he doesn’t let what other people say faze him; he continues to live in his old fantasy world.
Written and directed by Jared Hess, the film is a satire on teenage angst. The film has perfect dry delivery on the part of all characters, including Dynamite’s friends Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and Deb (Tina Majorino).
Pedro, a student from another country, comes to America and Napoleon befriends him. Napoleon tries to get Deb, who is trying to earn money for college as a “studio photographer,” to be Pedro’s date for the dance.
Napoleon’s Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) is a scam artist staying with the family after Napoleon’s grandmother crashes a motorcycle into a sand dune. Rico is trying to make money to go back in time to win money on a big football game.
Later in the film Pedro decides that he wants to run for president of the school. Napoleon goes on a mission to help Pedro secure this position. In one amazing scene, Napoleon tries to help Pedro’s chances in the election by doing a fabulous dance solo to Jamiroquai’s “Canned Heat.” The scene is so phenomenal and the dancing so fascinating that it is more than funny, it is enchanting.
Each of the actors play their parts phenomenally, especially Ramirez and Heder. Their dry, ironic and sarcastic banter is hysterical, making everything they say seem ten times funnier because of their perfect delivery. Heder is able to deliver lines like “Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills,” with such seriousness as to make it that much more humorous but at the same time oddly convincing.
Although the film is a witty and an uproarious commentary on the high school years, some may find the film to be too cynical and dry. At points, it’s hard to determine just how serious the film is being or of what they are trying make fun. This can add to the humor of it all, but at the same time it makes one wonder whether the audience should sympathize with Napoleon or just laugh at him the way everyone else does.
“I saw how someone could think it was funny,” said Ali Bauer, a University of Wisconsin junior. “But the film to me was just so predictable as to make it not that funny.”
In the end the film’s soundtrack, the sympathy and empathy the crowd feels for Napoleon and his friends, and the way it all comes together makes the film a brilliant satire reminiscent of “The Royal Tenenbaums.” The comedic delivery is unparalleled in comparison to other films out today and it makes one hope that we will be seeing more of Jon Heder.
