Why does everyone like Napoleon Dynamite?

Cafe Society
1

Last night I went over to a friend who was home from A.F. basic training and I had not seen him in a while. We had nothing to do, so we watched the DVD of Napoleon Dynamite. I had never seen it until then, but I remember when everyone was talking about it all the time. I vowed I wouldn’t see it; I was convinced that since everyone was talking about it, and everyone is usually an ass, it had to be bad.

Well, it wasn’t HORRIBLE. But I didn’t like it much and don’t understand what all the fuss was about. Sure, it had some giggly moments; no real belly laughs. The only thing that really made me laugh was when Rico takes the model sailing ship out of the box and says “I bet you don’t have one of these!” Aside from that the humor was just too “random” and lacked any buildup or timing.

Was it just me or is Napoleon, the title character, one of the most UNLIKEABLE characters ever? I found myself wishing he had attended my high school so I could have kicked his ass. He was so irritating; instead of being a likeable, polite geek, he came off as an arrogant, pushy jerk. His constant open-mouthed dumbfounded look really got to me, as did the way he blurted out his phrases. What was so great about this guy? Was he supposed to be “so nerdy that he’s funny?” That’s not how he seemed to me. Many people describe this movie as “the life of a typical geek,” but the only thing about Napoleon Dynamite that’s geeky is the way he looks. He sounds and acts like a plain old jerk.

Kip, another major character, was also not that funny. How many times has this stereotype been hashed out? He’s a meek, wimpy doofus who eventually adopts gangsta-style dress after hooking up with his online lover. Ha ha ha, that’s one thing that never gets old, a dorky white guy dressing like a gangsta. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard since “Bringing Down The House.”

Uncle Rico was probably my favorite character, partially because he brought back childhood memories of my dad (not his behavior, just the way he looked.) (And no he’s not dead or anything, he just doesn’t have that 70’s hair and porno mustache anymore.)

No, Napoleon Dynamite was not the worst movie I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t even call it a bad movie, since I liked the cinematography and nice outdoor shots. It managed to capture a pretty nice atmosphere. But I wasn’t really entertained by it and I wouldn’t describe it as a “funny” movie.

I’m not here to bash people who like it, nor am I here to criticize the movie any more than I already have. I’m not one of the jerkoffs on IMDB. What I’m looking for is insight, from fans of the movie or from people who did not like it, into its popularity. It has been embraced by the local hipster culture here and I’d like to know why they are so very deeply in love with Napoleon Dynamite.

2

I agree with you. On a scale of 1-10 I would give the movie a 6. Not a bad movie, but not great either.

However, I cannot get the damn thing out of my mind!
I quote stuff from it, because most of it is so random it can be uttered anywhere (“Are you drinking low-fat milk because you think you’re fat?”, “You have to get your gear out of my locker, there is no room for my nunchucks”)

And when I do boring but detailed stuff, like soldering, I replay whole scenes in my head. (“This cow here, she has like 5 utters. I think a good milk cow should have, like four”).

I liken it to a bad pop song. You don’t like the song, but you remember all the words anyway.

3

Let me be the first to say: Because it’s freakin’ sweet.

Seriously, though, what appeals to me is the fact that they were able to make a movie that centers around a very unremarkable series of events. You can argue that the characters grow or change by the end of it, but as I saw it, it was such a tiny change it was hardly worth mentioning. It didn’t make Napoleon or his brother or the girl change into the most popular kids in school; it didn’t make everyone suddenly realize that “it’s all about being yourself”; instead you saw a kid that many people can either identify with or knows somebody just like him doing his thing and not really giving a rat’s patootie what anybody else thinks.
And the quotes. Everybody who’s seen it can quote at least one or two lines. That’s always a great way to gain popularity as a movie, since you have to see it if you want to know what everyone’s talking about.

4

Because of the dancing.

5

I liked it in a “I knew people like that” kind of way.

You’re right in using the term “random”. It certainly felt, to me, like a snapshot of what life is really like in a small town that doesn’t progress past 15 years prior. Many small towns are like that, and I could definitely identify with it.

I also amused me because Napoleon himself doesn’t progress through any sort of character arc whatsoever. He’s the exact same nerdy loser he was when the movie began; he learns nothing about himself, and changes nothing. You know – sort of like small town life itself.

I don’t love the movie, but I do appreciate it for what it is.

6

That’s hardly unusual. European filmmakers have been doing it for years.

I don’t recall a particularly memorable quote in the film. Certainly nothing truly funny.

It wasn’t bad, but I’d only give it a six out of ten.

7

Aww…I think the opposite. I wish Napoleon was a classmate of mine just so I could be his friend. I found him really funny because he just so random and I appreciated how it took place in a small town, just because I live in such a big city. The movie was very different from other teen movies I’ve watched and it was very clean (as in, very little sexual references and swearing), so I appreciated that, too.

8

6/10. Not too far off from what “the masses” say: 7.2 on IMDB.

When people ask me if I thought it was a good movie, I have to say… Well I don’t know if I’d call it “good”, I just kind of liked it in a whacky kind of way.

What was with the llama…?

9

I gave it a 3. It was as if people without any senses of humor or taste (or rhythm) tried to make a Coen Brothers movie. I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it.

10

I was expected to laugh myself to death, given the reviews I read. I chuckled here and there, but the movie felt like they were trying to make a campy-cult-classic sort of thing. Trying too hard, at that.

Eh, to each their own.

11

I’d only give it about a 6, too. Not a bad movie, but if so many people hadn’t gone gaga over it, I’d probably have forgotten it pretty quickly.

The fact that Napoleon is a huge jerk doesn’t exactly help it, although I like Pedro a lot.

I think it was a movie that tried way too hard to be “wacky”, and that left a bad taste in my mouth.

12

I rented it over the weekend, and watched it Saturday. It was OK, some parts cracked me up (the farmer and the cow in the field, the time machine test, and Pedro’s hair after he went home sick, for example), but overall, I’d go with the 6 out of 10 rating. I’d watch it again if it was on, but I wouldn’t go out of my my way to arrange a viewing.

My 5 year old has watched it every day, sometimes back to back to back, since Saturday. I think that speaks volumes about it’s appeal. Gosh!

13

Most of the people I know that really love this movie are the same type of people who are the “popular” crowd at school. I think they see napolean as all those nerds they laugh at at school, and then laugh at him on screen.

14

“Everyone”? Hardly. “Napoleon Dynamite” is only a cult hit. Take a truly random survey, and you’ll find that the overwhelming majority of people have never seen it, and a huge percentage have never even heard of it.

That said, the few people who DO like the movie tend to like it in a big way, just as “Monty Python & the Holy Grail” fans did a generation ago.

15

I hated the movie. Well not because I thought it was bad but I know little towns like that and I just felt the utter hopelessness of those kids situations. That girl could sell beeds to every person in town and she’ll never make enough to escape.

The dancing was funny though. My brother(in-law) works in a shop and makes oil rig parts. It is a heavy duty machine shop. All the guys there love this movie and it kind of cracks me up to think that they are all going around say “What ever I WANT to do today!” “Gosh!”
So

Get your own tots!

16

I disagree. I think it’s pretty much my favorite movie.

Like anyone could ever know that!

17

The first time I saw it in the theater I enjoyed it. Then, when I watched a second time on DVD I was bored to tears.

18

Uhhh, it’s only like the best movie I know. Okay, so all the quoting and gushing over it can be a bit of a turn off, but I honestly think it’s merited. A real gem of a movie, one of the funniest and sweetest I’ve seen all year. Why should movie geeks always be saddled with low self-esteem or a pygmalion transformation scene? I love character-based quirky comedies like this and Welcome to the Dollhouse, but I can understand why some people just didn’t go for it. Hey, some people came away from Ghost World thinking its main characters were self-centred snobs who should just cheer up, gosh! Different strokes, people. Especially when it comes to comedies.

19

Ooh! Ooh! Me! ME! I HATED that movie. The only character I didn’t want to end up under the wheels of a bus was Steve Buschemi.

20

I liked it because it was diferent. Too many movies now just fall into the same basic formulas. Even the foreign films have their own formulas, it just takes a while to learn what they are. The race for class president was almost a teen movie cliche but unlike every other high school election ever filmed, this one didn’t mean anything.

I just watched “Kitchen Stories” tonight. This is another quirky movie that had me engrossed.