Review of Napoleon Dynamite (2004) by Cameron J — 02 Apr 2015

I don't even know what to think about "Napoleon Dynamite". On the one hand, there were moments that had me laughing out loud, and wholly transfixed by the strange world that was being shown to me, and on the other hand there were stretches where I was quite bored.

"Napoleon Dynamite" is certainly unlike any comedy, or movie, I've ever seen. It's a style-over-substance character study that's set in a world that feels 20 years out of place, and is more content to having us laugh at the mannerisms and personalities of its characters as opposed to having us connect with them. By the end of the film I found Napoleon kind of funny, but didn't feel like I'd connected with him in any real way.

Fortunately, the film does have quite a few laughs. The dialogue is great, the editing is superb, and the low-budget cinematography is effective within its limitations. All of the actors in the film do a good job, though they're really playing caricatures more than anything else. That said, I do think that Pedro and Deb are well-developed, and are probably the best characters.

"Napoleon Dynamite" isn't a movie I loved, or even liked, but it's one I couldn't take my eyes off. The deadpan humor works well in small doses - the first five or so minutes had me totally laughing my ass off - but the effect runs a little thin as the movie goes on. It's not a movie I think I'd ever want to watch again, but it's one I think everyone should see at least once. It's an absurd piece of escapism that, if nothing else, is completely unique to itself.