Well we finally made it out to see Napoleon Dynamite over the weekend. Let me cut to the chase: It is SO AWESOME!
Now, the fact is that this is the kind of movie that most people either love or hate. I tried pretty hard to think about really interesting and meaningful thematic content in the film: Individuality (becoming comfortable in your own skin), friendship (even sacrificial friendship), blah blah blah. But…. nope. Not really anything there. Really the film has more to do with awkward people, awkward conversations, etc. And one other thing you should know – it doesn’t really have a plot at all.
With all that said, it is so stinkin’ funny!!! It is just quirky, odd, and different (much like the characters themselves). There is such an authenticity to the whole thing. Part of what’s refreshing about the movie is that they are all a bunch of no-name regular people. Another refreshing aspect of the movie is that it is totally clean – no language, sex, or anything of the sort to speak of. (Turns out the movie was made by a bunch of BYU folks).
Napoleon Dynamite is the kind of movie that becomes funnier the more you think and talk about it – gets funnier the next day. It is the kind of movie that you can see multiple times, and many people do. Don’t be surprised to hear 16 year olds quoting the movie over and over and over. It was a surprise hit at the Sundance Film Festival and generated such a buzz that MTV picked it up for their film division. (Find anything else from MTV without a bikini or foul language or sex. Maybe this goes to show that kids are really looking for something totally different and void of all the cheap glam and predictability that is their steady diet in this culture). But do be warned that you ought to see it in a good mood and with a group.
You’ll love it…. I hope. At least I did. I’ll definitely buy the DVD.