Napoleon Dynamite is an American independent film written and directed by Jared Hess. The movie is based on the short film he directed at Brigham Young University with Jon Heder, Peluca, which was discovered at the Slamdance Film Festival. Napoleon debuted in 2004, earning $116,666 in its opening weekend, and over $44.5 million as of February 6, 2005. The film cost only $400,000 to make. The DVD was released on December 21, 2004. Since its release, it has gained somewhat of a cult film status among members of Generation Y, who seem to identify with the film to some degree. In 2005, it won three MTV Movie Awards, for Breakthrough Male Performance, Best Musical Performance, and Best Movie. It was filmed in Preston, Idaho, USA.

Introduction

The film follows the protagonist Napoleon Dynamite, a rather slow, dorky high school student with a penchant for "tots", drawing fantasy creatures, fishing for bass, and telling implausible stories. The film showcases Napoleon's personality and circle of equally quirky friends, family, and associates in his predominantly Mormon hometown of Preston, Idaho. Though the film has been described as "quirky", it is not in the same vein as the Wes Anderson films, as the main character, his brother and some of his friends' behavior at times borders on Asperger's Syndrome, an autism-spectrum condition characterized by extreme social awkwardness and fascination with specific things in daily life. However, in this film the characters were focused on a specific lifestyle, rather than a fixation. It is unlikely that this similarity was intended or even recognized by the film-makers, as they have stated in commentaries that their own social awkwardness growing up was the inspiration for the characters. Napoleon's family recognizes that he and his 32-year-old brother Kip require adult supervision (they live with their grandmother, who sends their Uncle Rico to look after them while she is hospitalized). Napoleon's brother Kip does not differ much from Napoleon in his awkwardness.

Plot

There is no strongly focused plot like most movies but the broad plot of Napoleon Dynamite is to try to get Pedro Sanchez to become Class President of Preston High School. The film follows Napoleon Dynamite's friends Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and Deb (Tina Majorino) as they become true and close friends and Deb and Napoleon "hook up" and in the words of Jon Heder: "I think they might one day find it in their hearts to unite for eternity." which is a Mormon saying.

Main characters

• Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), the film's protagonist, is a nerd who loves to draw fantasy creatures. However, he lacks the aptitude typically associated with nerds, having attempted time travel with a crude device his Uncle Rico purchased on the Internet. He enjoys Tater Tots and tetherball. He is active in the Future Farmers of America and his school's Happy Hands Club. His best friends are Pedro and Deb. He enjoys eating steak and milk every night for dinner. It would seem he was named after Elvis Costello's pseudonym, as seen on the back of the album Blood and Chocolate, but director Hess denies any such connotation.
• Pedro Sanchez (Efren Ramirez) is a new student that the Principal of Preston High says is from Colonia JuГЎrez, Mexico. He is occasionally the target of mild antagonism on the part of the school principal. He runs for class president, and that is the overall plot of the movie.
• Deb (Tina Majorino) is a shy and awkward schoolmate. She is interested in photography, and spends her time trying to earn money for college by selling glamour shots and boondoggle keychains. She often wears her hair in a single ponytail off to one side. Deb seems to be the most articulate character in the film.
• Kipland "Kip" Ronald Dynamite (Aaron Ruell) is Napoleon's wimpy older brother ("like 32 years old") who enjoys online dating and claims to be training to become a cage fighter. He and Napoleon live with their grandmother.
• Uncle (Kyle) Rico (Jon Gries) is the sleazy uncle of Napoleon and Kip. Rico lives in an old RV in the middle of a field. He played football in his younger days ("back in '82"), and consistently is living in the past. He longs to go back in time and change his fortunes, certain he had the potential to join the NFL. Uncle Rico enjoys eating (sometimes spitting out) steak. He watches Kip and Napoleon while their Grandma is in the hospital due to a broken coccyx. During this time, he and Kip bumble through a variety of business engagements, such as selling Tupperware and herbal breast augmentation.

Secondary characters

• Summer Wheatly (Haylie Duff) is a stereotypical blonde cheerleader against whom Pedro runs for class president.
• Don (Trevor Snarr) is Summer's cocky boyfriend. He helps Summer on her campaign for class president and occasionally teases Napoleon and Pedro.
• Trisha (Emily Kennard) is one of Summer's good friends, and is forced into going with Napoleon to the school dance.
• LaFawnduh Lucas (Shondrella Avery) is a woman Kip met over the Internet. She is tall, stylish, and African-American contrasting with Kip's short stature, awkward demeanor, and pale complexion. After spending time with her, Kip changes his clothes and demeanor to mimic African-American or white rapper stereotypes. In the post-credit sequence, she and Kip are wed.
• Rex (Diedrich Bader) is sensei of the "Rex Kwon Do" martial arts dojo. He is an ex-ultimate fighter and charges a large fee for his services ($300 for an 8-week program). He is a very confident man and is married to Starla (Carmen Brady), a female bodybuilder.
• Grandma (Sandy Martin) is the divorced grandmother of Napoleon and Kip. She breaks her coccyx on a jump while driving a Trike (ATV) at the sand dunes while on a date. According to Rico, there is a lot Napoleon and Kip do not know about her.
• Randy (Bracken Johnson) is the school bully. He frequently injures and robs Napoleon and other nerds.
• Tina (Dolly the Llama) is the stubborn llama that belongs to Napoleon's grandmother.
• Ilene (Ellen Dubin)

Background information

Preston, Idaho is a real town located near the Utah border, and is predominantly Mormon. Since the release of Napoleon, it has become a tourist attraction of sorts, with the school, Preston High School, being a main feature. Preston held a Napoleon Dynamite Festival celebrating the film on June 24-25,2005, and an estimated 6,000 people attended the two-day event. Napoleon T-shirts have also become somewhat hot commodities in 2005, selling at many stores that sell novelty shirts, such as Hot Topic. In April 2005, the Idaho state 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 [1].

The film also displays many quirky references to Mormon popular culture. Napoleon uses euphemisms like flip, gosh, and heck that are common in Mormon circles, as alternatives to swearing. (For Example: "What the flip was Grandma doing at the Sand Dunes?" or "Heck yes. I'd vote for you.") He wears a t-shirt that reads "Ricks College", the former junior college located in Rexburg, Idaho now known as BYU Idaho. In the DVD extras, there is an interview with Jon Heder in which he jokes that perhaps Napoleon and Deb may be "sealed for time and all eternity"—a reference to the Mormon belief in "eternal marriage" or "sealing" performed in LDS temples. The principal's reference to "Juarez"—where he assumes Pedro is from—is a reference to Colonia Juarez, a Mormon colony in Mexico founded to evade U.S. polygamy laws in the nineteenth century. Characters, even those intended to be the popular girls, do not wear shorts any shorter than knee-length. Fashions in Mormon culture tend to be more modest than those of popular culture. At the same time, the director seems to have taken care to not project an overt presence of Mormon culture. Catholic crosses and statue images are placed prominently in some scenes, particularly at Pedro's house.

While the film is set in the present-day, some viewers dispute the temporal setting due to several factors. For example, the music playing at the school dance is from the 1980s, featuring Alphaville and Cyndi Lauper. Other vestiges of earlier decades include fashion trends that reflect those of the 70s and 80s, and a VCR in the Dynamite residence that resembles those from the early days of video technology. Throwbacks to the 1990s come from music by the Backstreet Boys and Jamiroquai used in the choreography of Summer and Pedro's skits. Kip uses the Internet for dating and purchasing a "time machine". However, the model of computer is arguably from at least the early to mid 1990's and he is using a dial up internet service that charges users by how long they have been on, a practice uncommon since at least 1997. Yet Uncle Rico (who appears to be in his late 30s to early 40s) frequently refers to his high school glory days of 1982 (the date on which he set the aforementioned "time machine"). Finally, Napoleon's school ID card, as shown in the opening credits, clearly reads "2004/2005," unambiguously setting the movie in the present-day.

The retro aspects of the movie have been suggested by some to be a depiction of cultural stagnation, or an homage to similar genre films of the 1980s, such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off. One could argue that such anachronisms have become popular in hipster film culture. The films of Wes Anderson, for instance, have the same out-dated electronics/music/clothing while still taking place in the present. When asked when his movie was set, writer/director Jared Hess simply replied, "Idaho."

Themes

All the characters of Napoleon Dynamite experience a rite-of-passage. Virtually everyone in the movie is stuck either in the '80s era or a past state-of-mind. This is evident in Deb's fashion sense (her hair and wardrobe), Uncle Rico's appearance and wistfulness, Kip's fashion sense (a nerdy, retro wardrobe and excessively large glasses), and Pedro's bewilderment at being reprimanded for practicing a "Mexican tradition". Towards the end of the movie, however, everyone snaps out of the past and into the present. To that end, Kip ditches the Internet for LaFawnduh and subsequently a new style, Rico's ex returns to him, Deb dons a new hair style, Pedro wins over his new classmates, and the popular crowd becomes integrated with those previously considered unpopular.

Although presented subtly, diversity is a common theme in the film: Napoleon and Kip find victory and love, respectively, in African-American culture; Pedro, a Mexican, triumphs over the stereotypical blonde-haired American cheerleader. The uniting nature of diversity is more clearly expressed in a scene after the end credits in which Kip and LaFawnduh are married, where people of all backgrounds come together to celebrate within the predominantly white, conservative town.

Cultural effect

Napoleon Dynamite has had a very visible impact on popular culture since its theatrical release in June 2004 (an example of its powerful memes). Repeating memorable quotations from the movie, such as "heck yes", "gosh", "freakin' idiot", "Tina you fat lard, come get some dinner! " and "Vote for Pedro", has become a trendy part of popular youth culture. Although the only official movie merchandise is the DVD, many retailers are selling unofficial clothing and other merchandise based on the film, particularly "Vote for Pedro" t-shirts designed to look like the amateurish shirts worn in the movie.

Trivia

• The dishes shown in the opening credits are all eaten on at some point in the movie, and in the case of cast members, eaten by their respective characters.
• Jon Gries is a vegetarian, and spat out every bite of red meat he chewed during filming.
• During some scenes of the movie, Napoleon is seen wearing a Ricks College T-shirt. Ricks was a junior college in Idaho that became Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2001.
• The music used in the scene where Napoleon showcases his dancing skills is "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai.
• Napoleon enjoys dancing, and belongs to the "Happy Hands" club, which practices sign singing. He joined this club because "all of the other sweet clubs were filled" (this is revealed in the deleted scene "Second Locker Room" on the Napoleon Dynamite DVD).
• In the DVD version, Napoleon makes an obscure remark about pearls. This is an inside joke between Jon Heder and Jerusha Hess about a friend of Hess' who wanted to be a deep sea diver. The friend accidentally drove her Cobalt into the ocean, and Hess told her that was not the way to become a deep sea diver.
• "Napoleon Dynamite" was a pseudonym used by Elvis Costello in the credits of his 1986 album Blood and Chocolate. Executive producer Jeremy Coon has stated that the similarity is a coincidence and that the producers were unaware of Costello's usage of the name until the film was in production.
• Napoleon's favorite animal, the liger, is actually a real animal, and exists in zoos as a result of mating a male lion with a female tiger. They are not, however, bred for their skills in magic.
• In the 2005 National Spelling Bee, after asking for the definition of a word, one student recited the line "Do the chickens have large talons?", then proceeded to spell the word.
• Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez reprised their roles in the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken, which would involve Napoleon in the role his namesake was in.
• Heder has recently appeared in a skit shown at a conference where Bill Gates was presenting Windows Vista. The skit is just 5 minutes of Napoleon Dynamite if he was going to become head of Microsoft. Bill Gates plays himself but it seems that he's the "Kip" of the skit.
• Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez also reprised their roles in a series of commercials advertising the 2005 Utah State Fair.
• Tina was also Deb's real name coinciding with the fact that Napoleon said "Tina you fat lard, come get some dinner!" (referring to the llama shortly after Deb left).

Trivia Revealed In DVD Commentary

• Jon Heder's hair is not red for the last "flippin" time.
• Jon Heder had his hair permed for the "Napoleon" look.
• Jon Heder lied to the Cast and Crew and said he got his hair permed for Napoleon at the same place he got it done for the short film Peluca. When he arrived for the first day of shooting his hair "Looked like like Shirley Temple's hair." said Director Jared Hess.
• After Uncle Rico throws a steak at Napoleon's face watch carefully, he takes a piece of steak out of his mouth and quickly places it on his plate.
• Exactly 46 minutes and 41 seconds into the film Napoleon looks at his watch. He later looks at it again 47 minutes and 53 seconds into the film and if you look carefully at the top right of the watch the date changes. It changes from 7-17 to 7-21.
• Jon Heder freestyled most of his dance routine with the help of Tina Majorino (Deb), who is a hip-hop instructor. Some of the moves included were inspired by *NSYNC and Michael Jackson. Heder mentioned in a post-production interview that he figured "almost half" of the dance moves came from watching John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
• Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez wore wigs for the role of Uncle Rico and Pedro. The wigs attracted flies throughout filming, as seen in the film. The Sound Designer put in many fly buzzing sounds throughout the film as the flies are shown.
• Several scenes in the movie are the results of improvisation, such as Kip's reaction to backing over the Tupperware bowl. And Uncle Rico knocking his video camera off of his tripod with his football.
• The boy sitting with Napoleon in the back of the bus was a local who came in for audition.
• The Director had Jon Heder dance to three different songs for the ending Dance Sequence and they took out the various songs during editing, and left the Dance Moves in and they fit together really nicely.
• Towards the beginning of the film, if you notice Napoleon draws flatulence coming out of a Unicorn's rear-end.
• The scene where Napoleon is riding on the school bus and holding an action figure out the window is a reference to a prank Jon Heder played on the way to third grade with a girl named Joanne who had recently moved to his town from Labrador City, Canada. Joanne had a Barbie Doll and he grabbed it and tossed it out the window on a shoe lace.
• The music used in the campaign poster montage is the A-Team theme song.
• The lady on the bicycle who approaches Rico near the end of the film is his ex, who is mentioned earlier in the movie. She was played by Aaron Ruell's (Kip) wife, Julia Ruell.
• All 189 students extras in the film are individually listed in the closing credits. They are listed horizontally from left to right.
• The "Happy Hands" Club was inspired by a real club that Preston High School has called The "Good Hands" Club.
• Napoleon's "moon boots" belonged to Jerusha Hess' Uncle Wally and he let Jon Heder use them for the film. By the end of the movie they were falling apart and were being held together by duct tape. Heder also said that they started to smell.
• Preston High School, Napoleon's high school, has started an actual "Happy Hands Club" since the release of the film.
• The extra scene at the end of the movie was actually included in the theatrical release of the film, not just on the DVD. It cost half as much to film the single extra scene than it did to film the rest of the movie. (Which is 200,000 dollars.)
• Exactly 11 minutes and 42 seconds into the film Napoelon says to Deb "I already get my hair cut at the Cuttin' Corral." The Cuttin Corral is an actual hair salon in Preston, Idaho.
• Between scenes, Jon Heder helped to make the boondoggle keychains which are featured conspicuously in the film.
• Jon Gries who plays Uncle Rico also does not drink milk.
• About 10 minutes and 03 seconds into the movie the awful looking meal that Grandma sets out for Napoleon to feed to Tina was supposed to be Hamburger Helper but when the scene was filmed it was actually Tuna Casserole with Homemade Crutons mixed in.

Soundtrack list

• "We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes
• "A-team Theme"
• "Forever Young" by Alphaville
• "Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys
• "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai
• "So Ruff, So Tuff" by Zapp and Roger
• "The Promise" by When In Rome
• "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper
• "The Rose" by Bette Midler
• "Light In Your Eyes" by Sheryl Crow
• "Music for a Found Harmonium" by Penguin Cafe Orchestra

See also

• Peluca

External links

• Official site for Napoleon Dynamite
• Napoleon Dynamite Fan Club
• Napoleon Dynamite at the Internet Movie Database
• NapoleonStuff.com, a fan site
• Selection of Napoleon Dynamite soundboards kdkprankcalls.com
• Napoleon Dynamite sound clips (Flash required) on albinoblacksheep.com
• Napoleon Dynamite sound clips (Flash required) on collegehumor.com
• Idaho's resolution commending Jared and Jerusha Hess
• The Preston Chamber Gift Shop
• Napoleon's Town
• Napoleon Dynamite quoted at the Spelling Bee on IFILM
• Napoleon Dynamite Soundboard on ebaumsworld.com
• Neal's Napoleon Dynamite Dance on aeonity.comde:Napoleon Dynamite

fr:Napoleon Dynamite