“uncle rico, grandma just called and said you’re supposed to go home becasue you’re eating all our steak and ruining everyone’s lives.”
“One gang keep wanting me to join because I’m pretty good with a bow-staff.”
I love the way Napoleon looks around when he’s lying or exaggerating. Like when he tells Deb to get her equipment out of his locker because he doesn’t have room for his “numchucks.”
“And you know I love technology, but not as much as you, you see, but still I love technology…always and forever…” 
yeah right, who’s the only one here who knows illegal ninja moves from the government?
Truly a great movie. I’ve watched it maybe 12 times so far and every time I see it, I crack up harder. And made for only $400k. Peluca is very cool, seeing how close the original idea was (and made for $500).
At Rex Kwan Do, we use the buddy system. No more flying solo! You need someone watching your back at all times.
I already made like infinity of those at scout camp.
I have all your equipment in my locker. You should probably come get it, cause I can’t fit my nunchucks in there anymore.
It’s got shocks. Pegs. Lucky! You ever take it off any sweet jumps?
"Are you ready to get your groove on? Yeees.
Since when, Kip? You have the worst reflexes of all time.
You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.
I’m trying to earn money for college.
Your mom goes to college!
Are you guys like Pedro’s cousins with the sweet hook-up?
Finally saw it. Expected to laugh uncontrollably for the duration - instead, cracked a smile once.
I think the film is trying way, way, way too hard to be consciously a “cult” film - I agree with that 100%.
But what really shocked me was how entirely unsympathetic the film is toward all of the characters - we’re basically invited to mercilessly ridicule everyone (esp. Napoleon), but then are suddenly expected to cheer him on like a charity case in the end. Horrifying.
I didn’t see it that way at all. Napoleon is a spaz. He’s not presented as some kind of sympathetic character who’s persecuted by the evil popular kids. Yes, the popular kids in the movie are assholes, but Napoleon brings a lot of his own problems on himself.
I haven’t seen the movie, but the way lots of people are talking reminds me of when Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure came out. I was in high school then, and after seeing the movie, I, and lots of people in my school went around quoting the movie.
Oh lord, I laughed my tail off through this movie. I liked the way Napolean would bitch slap people and just run away before they could do anything.
My boyfriend and I watched it together, and we both take karate/kickboxing. When Rex appeared, wearing his American Flag gi pants, I pointed at Rex, exclaiming, “look Paul! He’s wearing Mr. John’s (one of our instructors) pants!” We howled with laughter. Swear to god, one of our instructors wears those same pants all the time. He even has the gravelly voice, like someone has hit him in the throat one too many times.
The wig on Pedro killed me. And when Napolean was dancing at the end, I was thinking “if they don’t stand up and cheer for this boy, then they’re all idiots”, cause his dancing was pretty funky.
The first time I watched the movie, I was kind of shocked that everyone I knew who had seen the movie was going around quoting Napoleon and talking about how cool he was. I thought the guy was an asshole when I first watched it, and I still do. Any part of the movie that doesn’t actually have Napoleon in it I like a lot more than any time he’s onscreen.
I like Pedro, of course, but I’m particularly fond of Kip and Lafawnduh. Their relationship was my favorite part of the movie; it’s just so sweet. I don’t even laugh at it so much as I think “aw.”
That said, upon repeat viewings of the movie I’ve come to the conclusion that Napoleon is indeed an ass, but he redeems himself somewhat at the end of the movie by helping out Pedro.
I thought Napoleon was a jerk at times too…but Napoleon is a teenager so he isn’t particularly supposed to be likeable even if he is an underdog. Geeks are asshole teeanagers, too. I thought the actor nailed the vocal inflections perfectly.
What are you going to do today Napoleon?
Whatever I want to do, GOD.
I love how he runs away like after he throws Summer’s button or the dance.
and of course, “I like your sleeves” rubrub
Yeah, I take it back. I think I just thought that because I don’t watch enough cult films. But nevermind.
My friends all loved it. I thought it had its moments, and some really great quotes, but overall, I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
It didn’t live up to my friends’ hype… but it was pretty good anyway. It made me snicker more than a couple of times.
I’ve certainly seen worse, but didn’t Napoleon seem just a tad old to be going to high school. I got the impression that he was supposed to be somewhere between grade 9 and grade 11 (14 - 17 years old), but he certainly didn’t look it.
I love this movie. I’ve seen it four times now. Napoleon is a real dork, not a movie dork. To me that’s what makes him endearing. He’s not some wonderful person inside, he just is what he is.
I don’t see the movie as mocking these characters but as celebrating them. Kip is such a wuss but the movie does not play his meeting with LaFawnda for embarrassment or cruel laughs. I like that the movie made her a character who really liked Kip and was on his side.
I also loved Napoleon’s dance routine at the end. To me it was a synthesis of the movie’s whole message. Napoleon’s dance moves are geeky, dated, spazzy, uncool, everything dorky. But somehow it also has a weird beauty of its own and at its core its purely Napoleon. It’s a complete expression of who he is as a character and it’s he film’s way of showing that it sees a perfect sort of beauty in the geekiest of characters just as they are, not in spite of their geekiness but because of it.
Oh, and my favorite exchange:
“What did you do over the summer, Napoleon?”
“I told you, I was hunting wolverines with my uncle in Alaska.”
“Did you kill any of them.”
“Yeah, like 50 of them. They were trying to attack my uncle, what was I supposed to do?”
“What did you use to shoot them with?”
“A freaking 12 gauge, what do you think.”
“I caught you a tasty bass.”
There are too many wonderful lines to count, but it’s not the dialog itself that’s ingenious, it’s the delivery.
I agree with Diogenes – the film is celebrating outcasts, not mocking them.
It’s a very sincere and heartfelt movie, if you look below the surface.
I absolutely adored this movie, but I wouldn’t say my group of friends has latched onto it.
It’s currently on its way from Amazon, so I can actually REMEMBER all this stuff you’re quoting. But The Boy and I will occasionally bust out a “GOSH!” or a “skills” related comment and laugh. So at least amongst the 2 of us it’s a classic.
Early in the movie I also felt that Napoleon was unsympathetic, but I think his friendship with Pedro showed that he wasn’t just a whining jerk with no social skills. But his friendship with Pedro wasn’t merely self-serving. He encouraged Pedro, didn’t turn on him when he asked Deb to the dance, and figuratively took a bullet for him when it came time for the campaign skits.
This movie was disturbingly like my childhood. But I liked it anyway.
I was way too similar to Napoleon as a kid, except I had computer hacking skills, which were decidedly un-cool. (and also nunchuck skills, but that did nothing for the girls either).
I didn’t see this movie as mocking weirdness, but rather celebrating it.
I love technology
But not as much as you, you see.
But I still love technology
Always and forever.
(by the way, that last is from the wedding scene, which is after the credits. I didn’t see it till maybe the 4th time I saw the movie)