White Space (El Blanco's Archive):blog

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Nuclear France - Napoleon Dynamite 4.8/5


     First, let's get one thing straight about this movie, it's
not quite the stereotypical "outcast nerd with a heart of gold who the
audience ends up adoring by the end of the movie more out of pity than
out of respect" -- well kinda. The story is pretty much what you might
expect, Napoleon (played brilliantly by Jon Heder) is the mythical
representation of the misfit nerd we either all were or knew in high
school. He gets beat up by the bullies, performs sign-language songs
with the sign-language club, has outlandish hair, a perpetually bad
attitude, thick-glasses and a fashion sense that was...well...never in
fashion.

     What makes this story unique is that the main characters are so
awkward and so out-of-touch with reality and ultimately so soulless
that we, the viewers, never really seem to end up caring for them. Now,
in most movies, not caring for the characters is a mortal sin, since it
never allows the viewers to be fully drawn into the characters and by
extension the story. However, director Jared Hess manages to make this
work. I think it's because ultimately, watching Napoleon, his friends
Pedro Sanchez (Efren Ramirez) and Deb (Tina Majorino) is a bit like
watching them all sitting in a train as it careens unpiloted and
out-of-control through their mid-west high school lives. And it's funny.

     No matter the circumstances of your high school years (nerd or
not) you can't help but feel superior to these dimwitted characters and
that's half the fun. It's the fun of being a guilt free bully. It's fun
to watch the jocks slam Napoleon into the lockers, it's fun to watch him
get rejected at the dance, it's fun to watch Pedro shave his head and
wear a wig. And the reason is because the entire time you are shouting
at these characters to GET A CLUE! There are entire groups of
scenes in the movie where Napoleon doesn't even show so much as an
emotion. Pedro never seems to get the spark of intelligence and
Deb...well Deb is interested in Napoleon -- need I say more?

     There are entire subplots and clueless characters who also should
exist without your sympathies:  Clueless Uncle Rico (Jon Gries),
trapped in an endless existence reliving his high school football days
and unable to accept the homeless looser he has become, older brother
Kip (Aaron Ruell) who often manages to steal the scenes by being an
even bigger emotionally vapid pinhead than Napoleon. I found myself
nearly crying while laughing at several scenes with Kip.

     The supporting cast (basically people not Pedro, Napoleon or any
of his relatives) all beam and provide an interesting contrast with the
main characters. They do so, not by being over the top, or caricatures
of stereotypes of people everybody knew in school, but by being
absolutely normal. They are your friends, relatives, people you meet in
the street. They seem multi-dimensional with feelings, cares and
worries. It is this contrast which so brilliantly brings out the
one-dimensionality of Napoleon and his group.

     The problem some people have with this movie is that they feel a
bit uncomfortable watching this. Either because they were the class
nerd and can't stand to relive those painful years or they were the
bullies and can't face their guilt. This usually lasts until about
halfway through the movie when you realize that it's okay to not feel
bad for Napoleon. It's not the film encourages any ill-will towards him,
but it's like watching the affor-mentioned train wreck. It's okay not
to try and jump in front of the train to stop it, nobody will blame you
for that. In fact you feel a little silly even thinking about defending
him. Once that discomfort wears off, you find the film is a wonderfully
quirky comedy about high school life for those who got the clue.