The film follows nerdy high school student Napoleon's (Jon Heder) adventures with his new friends Deb (Tina Majorino) and Pedro (Efren Ramirez). Napoleon also has to deal with his annoying older brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), and their Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) who can't leave the past behind. Napoleon faces the trials of high school: asking a girl to the dance, helping his best friend run for class president, dealing with his brother's online dating, cleaning chicken coops...the usual.
I'm not going to lie, what I love most about Napoleon Dynamite is the fact that it has no plot whatsoever. Nothing ties anything together in this film and it's glorious. One minute Napoleon is yelling at his pet llama, Tina, to eat the food he's throwing at her, and the next we see Uncle Rico chucking a piece of steak at Pedro's bike. I think the fact that nothing makes sense makes the movie that much funnier. Every scene is just so ridiculous, and it's almost impossible to guess what's coming next because it really could be anything.
I adore the acting in this movie. Every character is over-the-top and weird, and every actor played his or her part perfectly. The actors were able to take these crazy characters and still manage to make them real, rather than turn them into the caricatures that they could've easily become. It's hard to take an over-the-top role and make it real, and I commend the actors for doing so.
I'd also like to talk about the music in the film. It's just so...outdated. The one thing I find confusing about the film is its setting (time wise), and that's thanks to the music. The town seems to be stuck in the 80s most of the time--the clothes, the cars, the music that sounds like it belongs in an arcade game...it all seems very old. The music also plays into the comedy of the film, since it's so weird. One can't help but laugh at the synthesizer underscoring the scenes.
Most people I know refuse to give Napoleon Dynamite a chance, since it's "pointless". Please don't be one of those people, if you haven't already seen it. Yes, it's stupid; I won't deny that at all. But stupid can be really, really funny--this is one of those times.
Score: 10/10
Recommend: Only if you're prepared for complete and utter stupidity (in other words...yes)
Recommend: Only if you're prepared for complete and utter stupidity (in other words...yes)
