Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by
Jared HessJared Lawrence Hess and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos , all of which they co-wrote and directed...
and
Jerusha HessJared Lawrence Hess and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos , all of which they co-wrote and directed...
and stars
Jon HederJonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film,
PelucaPeluca is a short film by director Jared Hess, produced for an assignment while attending Brigham Young University in 2003. It was made in two days for under $500, and was shown at the 2003 Slamdance Film Festival.-Plot:...
.
Napoleon Dynamite was produced by
Fox Searchlight PicturesFox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
, and
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
as
MTV FilmsMTV Films is the motion picture production arm of cable channel MTV. Founded in 1996, it has produced films based on MTV programs such as Beavis and Butt-head Do America and Jackass: The Movie, as well as other adaptations and original projects. Its films are released by fellow Viacom division...
and was filmed in and near
Franklin County, IdahoFranklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 11,329 . The county seat and largest city is Preston. Franklin County is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.Established in 1913, Franklin County was named...
, in the summer of 2003. It debuted at the
Sundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in January 2004. In June 2004 it was given a limited release. Its wide release followed in August. The film's total worldwide gross revenue was $46,140,956. The film has since developed a
cult followingA cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
.
Plot
Napoleon Dynamite (
Jon HederJonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
) is an eccentric high school student from
Preston, IdahoPreston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,682 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
who lives with his grandmother (
Sandy MartinSandy Martin is an actress who has over 60 film credits and has been an actress, producer, director and writer in professional theater productions....
), his older brother Kip (
Aaron RuellAaron Ruell is an American director and photographer. He is also noted for his performance as Kipland Ronald Dynamite in the indie movie Napoleon Dynamite.-Director:...
) and their pet llama, Tina. Kip, 32, is not currently employed and boasts of spending hours in internet chat rooms with "babes" and training to be a cage fighter. Napoleon daydreams his way through school, doodling
ligerThe liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress . Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. It is distinct from the similar hybrid tiglon. It is the largest of all known cats and extant felines.Ligers enjoy swimming, which is a characteristic of tigers, and...
s and other fantastically weird creatures, while reluctantly dealing with the assorted bullies and elitists who frequently torment him.
Napoleon's grandmother breaks her
coccyxThe coccyx , commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column. Comprising three to five separate or fused vertebrae below the sacrum, it is attached to the sacrum by a fibrocartilaginous joint, the sacrococcygeal symphysis, which permits limited movement between...
in a quad bike accident and believing her grandsons cannot be trusted to look after themselves, asks Uncle Rico (
Jon GriesJonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
) to stay with them while she recovers. Uncle Rico, 46, is a former high-school quarterback who lives in an orange 1975 Dodge Santana campervan. He spends his time video-taping himself throwing footballs. His presence, although increasingly irksome to Napoleon, is a boon to Kip as he and Uncle Rico embark on a joint project to become door-to-door salesmen. Kip reveals that he would like to earn some money to enable him to meet his new internet girlfriend from Detroit, LaFawnduh Lucas (
Shondrella AveryShondrella Avery is an American actress.-Career:Avery began her career as a Stand Up Comic. She, alongside, with her family produced four different "work out," spots for up and coming...
). Uncle Rico is not averse to using Napoleon's name to gain credibility in his attempts to sell herbal breast-enhancement products to Napoleon's school mates, causing increasing friction between Uncle Rico, Napoleon and his friend Deb (
Tina MajorinoTina Marie Majorino is an American film and television actress. She started her career as a child actor, starring in films such as Andre; When a Man Loves a Woman; Corrina, Corrina; and Waterworld...
). Later on, Uncle Rico gets into trouble with the local martial arts instructor. He is attempting to sell the herbal breast enhancers to the martial artist's wife when the martial artist comes home.
Napoleon makes two new friends at school, Deb and Pedro. Deb is a shy and sensitive girl. The two have a falling out when Uncle Rico attempts to sell her breast-enhancement herbs and implies that Napoleon suggested it. Pedro (
Efren Ramirez-Early life:Ramirez was born in Los Angeles, California of Spanish and Salvadoran descent. He has three brothers, one of whom is his identical twin. Ramirez bought his parents a house with his payment from Napoleon Dynamite .-Career:...
) is a transfer student from Juárez, Mexico, who decides to run for class President against popular girl Summer Wheatley (
Haylie DuffHaylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
). Despite a couple of hiccups, the campaign goes well until the time Pedro is about to deliver his final speech, when he discovers that each candidate must perform a skit afterward. Having not prepared a routine, a despondent Pedro gives a lackluster speech, believing that his candidacy is over. Napoleon gives a music tape he had received from the visiting LaFawndah to the sound engineer and performs a dance routine to "
Canned Heat"Canned Heat" is the second single from British funk band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized, released in 1999. The song was their second #1 on the U.S. Dance Chart and peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund...
" by
JamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, which wins a standing ovation from the school audience.
The film closes out with a montage of scenes showing a happy ending for all concerned. Pedro wins the class Presidency. LaFawnduh, smitten with Kip right from the start, transforms his fashion and they leave town together to meet her family in Detroit. A fully recovered Grandma returns and has clearly missed Tina, the llama, more than her grandchildren. Uncle Rico, with his arm in a sling after the run-in with the martial artist, meets an attractive woman (possibly his estranged wife). Napoleon is playing
tetherballTetherball is a North American game for two opposing players. The equipment consists of a stationary metal pole, from which is hung a volleyball from a rope, or tether. The two players stand on opposite sides of the pole. Each player tries to hit the ball one way; one clockwise, and one...
by himself, Deb shows up and starts playing with him, having forgiven her friend.
A post-credits scene, added after the festival release, reveals Kip and LaFawnduh getting married. Napoleon is noticed as missing by Pedro and Uncle Rico, but as Kip sings for LaFawnduh, Napoleon rides up to them on a brown horse and says that he has tamed a wild honeymoon stallion for them. After having Deb take a picture of him, Kip and LaFawnduh get on the horse and ride off into the sunset.
Cast
- Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
as Napoleon Dynamite
- Jon Gries
Jonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
as Uncle Rico Dynamite
- Aaron Ruell
Aaron Ruell is an American director and photographer. He is also noted for his performance as Kipland Ronald Dynamite in the indie movie Napoleon Dynamite.-Director:...
as Kip Dynamite
- Efren Ramirez
-Early life:Ramirez was born in Los Angeles, California of Spanish and Salvadoran descent. He has three brothers, one of whom is his identical twin. Ramirez bought his parents a house with his payment from Napoleon Dynamite .-Career:...
as Pedro Sánchez
- Tina Majorino
Tina Marie Majorino is an American film and television actress. She started her career as a child actor, starring in films such as Andre; When a Man Loves a Woman; Corrina, Corrina; and Waterworld...
as Deb
- Diedrich Bader
Karl Diedrich Bader , better known as Diedrich Bader, is an American actor, voice artist and comedian. Many know him for his roles as Oswald Lee Harvey on The Drew Carey Show, Lawrence from the film Office Space, the Tae Kwon Do instructor Rex from Napoleon Dynamite, Tank "Shredder" Evans in Surf's...
as Rex
- Haylie Duff
Haylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
as Summer Wheatley
- Trevor Snarr as Don
- Emily Kennard
Emily Dunn Tyndall is an American actress and dancer from Utah, who made her acting debut in Napoleon Dynamite in 2004, under her maiden name Emily Kennard....
as Trisha
- Sandy Martin
Sandy Martin is an actress who has over 60 film credits and has been an actress, producer, director and writer in professional theater productions....
as Grandma Dynamite
- Shondrella Avery
Shondrella Avery is an American actress.-Career:Avery began her career as a Stand Up Comic. She, alongside, with her family produced four different "work out," spots for up and coming...
as LaFawnduh Lucas
- Carmen Brady as Starla
- Dale Critchlow as Lyle
Setting
PrestonPreston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 4,682 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
is a real town in Southeastern
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, located near the
UtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
border. Since the release of
Napoleon Dynamite, it has become a tourist attraction of sorts, with the high school being a main feature. Also with its premiere in 2004, Preston has held a Napoleon Dynamite Festival every summer to celebrate the filming of
Napoleon Dynamite in Preston and nearby towns.
In April 2005, the Idaho Legislature approved a resolution commending the filmmakers for producing
Napoleon Dynamite, specifically enumerating the benefits the movie has brought to Idaho, as well as for showcasing various aspects of Idaho's culture and economy. According to the end credits, the film was shot entirely in the state of Idaho.
Opening sequence
The film was originally made without opening titles. Audiences at test screenings were confused about when the film was set. Eight months after the film was complete, the title sequence was filmed in the cinematographer's basement.
Origin of the name "Napoleon Dynamite"
Upon the film's release, it was noted that the name "Napoleon Dynamite" had originally been used by musician
Elvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, most visibly on his 1986 album
Blood & Chocolate, although he had used the pseudonym on a single B-side as early as 1982. Filmmaker
Jared HessJared Lawrence Hess and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos , all of which they co-wrote and directed...
claims that he was not aware of Costello's use of the name until two days before the end of shooting, when he was informed by a teenage
extraA background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
. He later said, "Had I known that name was used by anybody else prior to shooting the whole film, it definitely would have been changed ... I listen to hip-hop, dude. It's a pretty embarrassing coincidence." Hess claims that "Napoleon Dynamite" was the name of a man he met around the year 2000 on the streets of
Cicero, IllinoisCicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
, while doing
missionaryThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Costello believes that Hess got the name from him, whether directly or indirectly. Costello said, "The guy just denies completely that I made the name up... but I invented it. Maybe somebody told him the name and he truly feels that he came about it by chance. But it's two words that you're never going to hear together." Costello has taken no legal action against the film.
Reception
While some reviews were mixed, the film generally received positive reviews.
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a 71% "fresh" approval rating based on 163 reviews with an average score of 6.3 out of 10.
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine complimented the film, saying "Hess and his terrific cast — Heder is geek perfection — make their own kind of deadpan hilarity. You'll laugh till it hurts. Sweet." The
Christian Science Monitor called the film "a refreshing new take on the overused teen-comedy genre" and said that the film "may not make you laugh out loud - it's too sly and subtle for that - but it will have you smiling every minute, and often grinning widely at its weirded-out charm." Michael Atkinson of
The Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
condemned the film as "a movie, that despite all indications to the contrary, is one that absolutely no one likes." In a very mixed review,
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised Heder's performance and the "film's most interesting quality, which is its stubborn, confident, altogether weird individuality," while criticizing the film's resolution that comes "too easily." Prominent film critic
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film one-and-a-half stars, noting that he felt that "the movie makes no attempt to make [Napoleon] likable" and that it contained "a kind of studied stupidity that sometimes passes as humor". At the time
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a C-.
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
later placed Napoleon as number 88 on its 2010 list of The 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years, saying "A high school misfit found a sweet spot, tapping into our inner dork." The film was on several year-end lists.
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's placed it at number 22 of the 25 Top DVDs of 2004.
Techdirt.com coined the term "The Napoleon Dynamite Problem", the phenomenon whereby "quirky" films such as
Napoleon Dynamite,
Lost in TranslationLost in Translation is a 2003 American film written and directed by Sofia Coppola; her second feature film after The Virgin Suicides and it stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson...
, and
I Heart Huckabees prove difficult for researchers to create
algorithmIn mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s that are able to predict whether or not a particular viewer will like the film based on their ratings of previously viewed films.
Despite some mixed reviews and a very
limited initial releaseLimited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
,
Napoleon Dynamite was a commercial success. It was filmed on an estimated budget of a mere $400,000, and less than a year after its release, it had grossed $44,940,956. It also spawned a slew of
Napoleon Dynamite merchandise from refrigerator magnets to T-shirts to Halloween costumes.
Awards
- Best Feature Film at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival the same year. The film's budget was only $400,000. When the film rights were sold to a major distributor
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
, Fox Searchlight PicturesFox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
, Fox supplied additional funds for the post-credits sceneA post-credits scene is a short clip that appears after some or all of the closing credits of a film have run...
.
- In 2005, the film — itself an MTV Films production — won three MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
, for Breakthrough Male Performance, Best Musical Performance, and Best Movie. The film is #14 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
- It won the 2005 Golden Trailer Awards
The Golden Trailer Awards is an annual awards show that honors achievements in motion picture marketing, including film trailers, posters and television advertisements.- Overview :...
for Best ComedyComedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
- It won the 2005 Golden Satellite Award for Best Original Score (John Swihart).
- Four awards at the Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
. Best Movie Breakout Performance - Female for Haylie DuffHaylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
, Best Movie Dance Scene, Best Movie Hissy Fit for Jon HederJonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
, and Best Comedy.
- The 2004 Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Feature
Animated series
In April 2010, it was revealed that an animated series was in the works. Much of the original cast agreed to reprise their roles. This includes
Jon HederJonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
as Napoleon,
Efren Ramirez-Early life:Ramirez was born in Los Angeles, California of Spanish and Salvadoran descent. He has three brothers, one of whom is his identical twin. Ramirez bought his parents a house with his payment from Napoleon Dynamite .-Career:...
as Pedro,
Aaron RuellAaron Ruell is an American director and photographer. He is also noted for his performance as Kipland Ronald Dynamite in the indie movie Napoleon Dynamite.-Director:...
as Kip Dynamite, and
Jon GriesJonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
as Uncle Rico. In October 2010,
FoxFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
announced that the series will debut during the 2011-12 television season. Director Jared Hess, his co-screenwriter wife Jerusha, and
Mike ScullyMike Scully is an American television writer and producer. He is known for his work as executive producer and showrunner of the animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1997 to 2001. Scully grew up in West Springfield, Massachusetts and long had an interest in writing. He was an underachiever at school...
will serve as producers, in association with
20th Century Fox Television20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
.
See also
- Napoleon Dynamite Festival
- Napoleon Dynamite: The Game
Napoleon Dynamite: The Game is a video game based on the film, Napoleon Dynamite. The game was released October 30, 2007.-Gameplay:In the PlayStation Portable version of the Napoleon Dynamite game, there are 30 mini games, while the DS version has 25 mini games.-Reception:An initial review from IGN...
External links