Amusingly So

As I had a conversation with a former co-worker about Napoleon Dynamite, we both came to an amicable agreement. She hated the movie, I loved it.

Now, all things aside and look at the statistics of the two of us. She's a grandmother in her sixties and a frequent moviegoer. I'm a young man in my twenties and a frequent moviegoer. There are definitely personality differences in both so they're not going to have everything in common except they both love movies...or hate them.

But so would define Napoleon Dynamite, a very offbeat comedy revolving around an unusual nerd of the title name. Napoleon isn't anything exceptional. It's not known if he's an incredible honors student, great athlete (unless you count Tetherball as a sport), or ladies man (that has to be debated). What he is, however, is a high school reject who marches to the tune of his own drum. He may seem weird and he might be, but he certainly is an original independent who takes no crap from anybody (in a pacifistic manner).

The directorial debut of co-writer/director Jared Hess is a hilariously offbeat comedy in the tradition of Ghost World and Lost In Translation. Ghost World because it focuses on the journey of a well defined teenage outsider such as Enid (Thora Birch). Also, Terry Zwigoff's film had more of a plot than Napoleon Dynamite, which can accurately be described as threadbare. Which brings me to Lost In Translation of which ND does have something in common with it. While that film also concerns two fish out of water outsiders, it has a story that really can't be dissected. It's told from the perspectives of the characters and how they develop into the story. Such would describe Napoleon Dynamite.

Here's the semblance of a plot: Napoleon befriends Pedro, a Spanish transfer student who is determined to win the class presidency. Enlisting Napoleon's help, the two set out to do just so. But from there, is a movie that's more of an excuse to peddle the oddities and quirks of it's characters like Napoleon and his unusual family and friends. His family life consists of a brother named Kip, no doubt a friendless virgin whose been "chatting with babes online all day". Despite his pencil thin mustache and physique, Kip is a walking nerd with a pale complexion and a thin haircut. He's a post school nerd who carries an online romance with an unseen woman. As played by Aaron Ruell, Kip is an amusing caricature of many in this satirical film.

Another part of the plot concerns their family life, after their grandmother has ended up in the hospital (in an unusual and amusing fashion). Their sleazy, no good Uncle Rico (Jon Gries, one of the more notable actors from movies like Get Shorty), is a man living in the past. Like Kip, he's a post school jock with nothing but regret about a football game on his mind. "Ohhhh, man I wish I could go back in time. I'd take state." Rico says about an old football game. But nothing makes up for Rico's continuing sleaziness, when he hatches a plot with Kip to sell plastic containers and moving onto breast implants. Gries, who has played a few sleazes in his filmography, is quite good at playing such an amusing loser. His Rico is nothing more than a cheesy villain who already has a mustache and unusual hairstyle; All he needs is just a top hat to look like a Hanna Barbera villain.

Perhaps the best performance is by Jon Heder, as Napoleon Dynamite. With his moose-like voice and ostrich body movements, Heder's character is a walking cartoon. Seriously, just look at the guy's half asleep facial expression and Carrot Top hair. You can't help but laugh at him. Heder has created what seems like a three dimensional cartoon character based on a nerd. In a bid to defy the high school hierarchy, Napoleon flings a class rival's button down a hallway before scurrying off with his hands by his sides. I don't know if Heder is a major talent or a bizarre oddity, but he manages to play Napoleon straight without resorting to slapstick. Some of the movie's best scenes come from words spoken by Napoleon, such as "Well, I have all your equipment in my locker. You should probably come get it cause I can't fit my nunchucks in there anymore."

Much of the film is complimented by a series of unusual scene gags, like a use for tater tot storage which I won't reveal. However, the absolute best scene of the film is at the climax in which Pedro's political speech is complimented by an unforgettable skit by Napoleon. There are various scenes and ideas that seems to cement this movie as an ultimate cult film. As written by Hess and his wife Jerusha, the film is more like a sketch of life during and after high school through Napoleon's family. As his brother spends his time sitting in front of a computer and his uncle talks about his past, Napoleon is the present version of high school who hasn't quite ended up like these two ne'er do well people. Hess' movie seems like a plotless answer to Wes Anderson, sans the old punk rock and more of a focus on the comedy than anything else. Anderson has a penchant for unusual visual flair like subtle objects in the placement of a scene, much like Napoleon Dynamite follows Anderson's work with visual flair.

The best way to describe the movie, is that it's an offbeat comedy. There are many unusual quirks in lieu of an actual plot to follow. As most offbeat humor is, it's always indirectly executed for interpretation. Napoleon Dynamite is a movie that aims to please outside the mainstream, despite becoming part of the mainstream with memorable one liners like "I see you're drinking 1% milk. Is that because you think you're fat? Because you're not. You could probably be drinking whole milk."

I would recommend this people looking for a particular focus on strange and offbeat humor. There's nothing smart about this comedy other than it being an amusing little movie that will make you laugh, if only for an hour and a half.