The Film:  Napoleon Dynamite

Year: 2004

Genre:  Drama dressed in Comedy

Directed By:  Jared Hess

Written By:   Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess

Starring: Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, Tina Majorino, Haylie Duff

Why Rent It?

If you’re a fan John Hughes’ classic high school films, and you haven’t seen Naopleon Dynamite, you might have missed the best non-John Hughes high school comedy in years.

The Breakdown:

Napoleon Dynamite is just your not so average high school kid.

He has a crush on a girl.

And, he likes to dance.

Final Analysis: 

Napoleon Dynamite was the breakout hit of 2004.

But, the critical reception of the film was not kind.

Roger Ebert said:

There is a kind of studied stupidity that sometimes passes as humor, and Jared Hess’ “Napoleon Dynamite” pushes it as far as it can go.

Ouch.  Still, the small-town film about a small-town boy from Idaho was acquired at the Sundance Film Festival, and it would go on to gross over $40 million on a $400,000 budget.

We think the movie studio gives those numbers two thumbs-up.

And, forget what Ebert said because Napoleon would call him an Idiot!  This movie will make you laugh.

Napoleon Dynamite is available on Amazon and at Netflix.