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| NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (2004) | |
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The
director Jared Hess brings the viewers a minimalistic comedy about a complete loser, Napoleon Dynamite (Jon
Heder), with no self-esteem, skills,
or friends. The film is on occasion offensively straightforward as
it pokes directly on Napoleon through the way he dresses, behaves, and how
people around him act toward him. Several geek
films has been made in the past such as Revenge of the Nerds (1984),
Rushmore (1998), and American Pie (1999), but Napoleon Dynamite delivers a
film unique in the sense that it is directly making fun of the nerd.
This is, on occasion, hilarious as the things that Napoleon does seem
awkward and embarrassing, yet there is a finer touch of compassion for him
as he struggles with his daily endeavors. In a sense it becomes much
like a clown show at a circus. It is funny, but at the expense of
the main character.
The film displays a number of episodic events that comprise a cinematic montage of Napoleon's lifestyle. Through the montage the audience learns that Napoleon lives with his grandmother and his older brother, that is a nerd much like himself. The mise-en-scene and the script also lays out the groundwork for why Napoleon is a nerd, as nobody really offers him help with anything. This tall gangly high school kid that constantly has his mouth open while he peaks through his glasses like a mole attempts to separate the shadows in order to distinguish what is in front of him. It is impossible not to feel sorry for him while laughing at his idiosyncrasies. The audience is presented with how he becomes friends with Pedro (Efren Ramirez), a new student in his school, and with Deb (Tina Majorino). Through their minute help Napoleon finds an insignificant amount of courage as it provides him with enough hope to begin regaining some of his lost self-esteem. The quest for something better also has it's difficulties as Napoleon must deal with his scheming uncle Rico, who brings his older brother into his schemes, as they also offend him in public. The struggle that Napoleon is fighting is for his own place in society as he wants something better, yet his awkwardness within society makes it difficult for him to adjust. Besides Napoleon's struggle there are several amusing situations such as when he must feed his grandmother's lama and the drawing he sends to a girl he wants to ask out to an upcoming school dance. The opening credits seem to have been influenced by Dogma 95 as it uses food and pictures in order to introduce the cast and crew of the film. Nonetheless, it is a fun and clever beginning that sets the tone for the rest of the film. The camera work and story bear some similarities with Rushmore (1998) and Royal Tenenbaums (2001) by Wes Anderson, but it does not copy these films as it remains unique. The story is fragmented in chronological order and Napoleon leaves a lasting imprint with the audience. Yet, the story itself does not seem to leave much of anything for the audience to ponder, but maybe the film will give some extra laughs with friends thanks to Jon Heder's character in the film. |
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DIRECTED BY |
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| Jared Hess | |
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COUNTRY |
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USA |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 12/29/2004 | |
| GRADE | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
