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, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries

10 wins & 22 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
Jimmy 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:

high school | family relationships | tater tots | two word title | stuck in the past | 

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Taglines:

He's out to prove he's got nothing to prove.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Napoleon Dynamite

Filming Locations:

Sykesville, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MTV Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 92 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening title sequence was partially reshot due to some of the executives at Fox Searchlight not liking the look of the actors hands who place the food into the shot. They flew out a hand model to reshoot some of the shots with the director.

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Goofs

When Napoleon is outside talking to Pedro's mother on the telephone, the boom microphone is reflected in the one of the door's windows.

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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

All the items, food or otherwise, used in the credits appear at some point in the movie, e.g. Napoleon's chap-stick, Uncle Rico's steak, etc.

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Alternate Versions

For wide release and all showings after the limited release, a scene was filmed featuring an additional five-minutes after the credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Howard Stern on Demand: Dustin Diamond Needs Money (2006)

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Soundtracks

Canned Heat
Performed by Jamiroquai
Written by Jay Kay (as Jason Kay), Toby Smith, Derrick MacKenzie, Simon Katz, Sola Akingbola, and Wallis Buchanan
Courtesy of Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment (U.K.) Ltd.
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Worst movie of all time

Napoleon Dynamite is a story about a nerd . Nerd isn't quite right . Dweeb isn't right either . He's a gork . He seems totally out of place in the world of humans as does the rest of his family . The rest of the story isn't worth mentioning . This movie resides firmly in first place on my list of Worst Movies of All Time . Lacking in almost every respect it retains only one attribute . It's a little surreal . But maybe that was because I couldn't believe this movie ever came into existence . Was everyone from the MTV executive to the projectionist asleep at the switch ? On the DVD box the New York Post declares this movie " HILARIOUS " . A blatant lie . People magazine said it was " WONDERFULLY ORIGINAL " . It may be original . No one else should ever do anything like this . Rolling Stone proclaimed " YOU'LL LAUGH TILL IT HURTS .... SWEET " . They're wasted . They'll laugh at anything . If I was on a desert island with a solar powered TV/ DVD and I only had this one DVD I would never watch it .