Napoleon Dynamite - Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!

As deadpan comedies go, Napoleon Dynamite stands in a class all its own. Played by John Heder, the title character is (in the words of critic Roger Ebert) "the kind of nerd other nerds avoid," a mouth-breathing dweeb with a mangy nest of orange hair, and ungainly features that suggest a perpetual state of half-conscious depression. He lives in Preston, Idaho (former home of 24-year-old director Jared Hess) with his thrill-seeking grandma and 32-year-old brother, and his days at high school consist mostly of being abused or ignored by indifferent classmates. Napoleon's sad-sack story doesn't offer the scathing, impassioned humor of Welcome to the Dollhouse because Hess (who cowrote the nearly plotless screenplay with his wife, Jerusha) doesn't have an angst-ridden axe to grind. Instead, the comedy (which exists in a tacky universe of worn-out rural suburbia) is so low-key that some will find it difficult to laugh, while others (i.e., those who feel superior to Napoleon) will have plenty of fun at Napoleon's expense. The result is a curiously uneven film, hilarious at times, but hampered by its own sense of affectionate mockery. An audience favorite at the Sundance film festival, Napoleon Dynamite may not be entirely lovable, but it's definitely unique. --Jeff Shannon

uuid: DADBBA99-628D-4DA6-98E1-E09D108DAF0B
upc: 0024543240433
title: Napoleon Dynamite - Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!
theatricalDate: 01-01-2004
stars: Jon Heder Efren Ramirez Jon Gries Aaron Ruell Diedrich Bader Tina Majorino Sandy Martin Haylie Duff Trevor Snarr Shondrella Avery Bracken Johnson Carmen Brady Ellen Dubin J.C. Cunningham James Stevens (VIII) Brian Petersen Brett Taylor Tom Lefler Elizabeth Miklavcic Scott Thomas (IX)
purchase date: 06-09-2006
publisher: 20th Century Fox
published: 16-05-2006
price: $26.98
net Rating: 3.5
MPAA Rating: PG
minutes: 172
number of media: 2
last lookup time: 179280896
genre: Teen Coming of Age Nothing Goes Right Small Town Life Underdogs Young Love School Days Comedy Special Editions
fullTitle: Napoleon Dynamite - Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!
features: Color Widescreen NTSC 1.85:1
director: Jared Hess
currentValue: $11.97
created: 179280896
country: us
aspect: DVD
asin: B000EHSVQE