Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.

Director:

Jared Hess

Writers:

Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess

Stars:

Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell

10 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Heder	...	Napoleon Dynamite
Jon Gries	...	Uncle Rico
Aaron Ruell	...	Kip
Efren Ramirez	...	Pedro
Diedrich Bader	...	Rex
Tina Majorino	...	Deb
Sandy Martin	...	Grandma
Haylie Duff	...	Summer Wheatly
Trevor Snarr	...	Don
Shondrella Avery	...	Lafawnduh
Bracken Johnson	...	Randy
Carmen Brady	...	Starla
Ellen Dubin	...	Ilene
J.C. Cunningham	...	Jock #1
James Stevens	...	Jock #2 (as James Smooth)

Storyline

Preston, Idaho's most curious resident, Napoleon Dynamite, lives with his grandma and his 32-year-old brother (who cruises chat rooms for ladies) and works to help his best friend, Pedro, snatch the Student Body President title from mean teen Summer Wheatley.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | high school | class | mustache | girl | 

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Taglines:

Same planet...different flippin' world.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bus otoko

Filming Locations:

Franklin, Idaho, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£60,839 (UK) (10 December 2004)

Gross:

$44,540,956 (USA) (4 February 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MTV Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min 86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Having the food plates spell out names in the opening credits was Aaron Ruell's idea. The rest of the sequence was designed and executed by Pablo Ferro.

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Goofs

When Napoleon is yelling at Rico to tell him, "Grandma says to go home 'cause you're ruining everyone's lives and eating all our steak," the door behind Napoleon is alternately open/closed between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kid on Bus: What are you gonna do today, Napoleon?
Napoleon Dynamite: Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!

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Crazy Credits

There is a 5 minute scene after the credits.

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Connections

Referenced in The Girls of the Playboy Mansion: Meet the Girls (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Larger than Life"
Written by Brian Littrell, Kristian Lundin, Max Martin
Performed by Backstreet Boys
Courtesy of Jive Records
Under license from BMG Film & TV Music

User Reviews

Not Just Another Teen Nerd Story, This Is Both Original & Very Funny

If you like dry or dark humor, you should get a big kick out of this movie. I know I did. If you are between 12-20 you might even like it more because this deals with high school kids primarily. However, there are some adults in here who play key roles, too.

The teens and the adults have a couple of things in common: they are nerds and weird people and they are all hilarious. They also are unlike a cast of characters you have seen in any other movie. In other words, this movie is an "original."

I didn't know any of these actors and I think that helped. It made it even more original, looking at new faces. That begins with the title character, played by Jon Heder. A white kid in Idaho with a afro haircut, over-sized glasses, moon boots and an unpredictable and low-key personality unlike anyone I've ever seen in other films. Even though he's pictured as a huge nerd, he surprises you all the time. Just when you think you have this kid figured out, he does something unexpected. Whatever, he's fun to watch and hear throughout the movie.

Suffice to say "Napoleon" and about everyone in this film is totally whacked and all of them - male, female, young, old, good and bad people are extremely entertaining. A lot of the humor is visual, meaning the looks and reactions on these character's faces and the weird deadpan lines they deliver. Are there stereotypes in here? Yes, like the bimbo, prettiest girl in school running for class president , and her stupid, macho boyfriend, but most of the people were pretty unique.

If you like absurd humor, this is your cup of tea, and you don't have to be a teen to enjoy this. Hey, I'm old enough to be Napoleon's grandfather and I laughed my butt off from the beginning to the end of this unconventional film.