Casual Cogitations

I realize that a negative review of Napoleon Dynamite is going to put me in line for plenty of hate mail, but I see no point in pretending: the only thing that made this film successful was the studio hype machine. Without Fox and a huge MTV marketing campaign, Napoleon Dynamite wouldn't even have registered on the Richter scale of teen popularity. This has been discussed by a lot of critics, of course, but normally as a bit of an afterthought. As a non-fan of the film, though, I think it's impossible to overemphasize this point. This is the perfect example of studio-driven predestined popularity—groups of teenagers so willing to follow marketing that they actually find this film funny.

Napoleon Dynamite the movie seems determined to do, in the words of its hero (played by Jon Heder) “Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!” This doesn’t include having a coherent plot, explaining the llamas in the yard, or indeed possibly making any sense at all. The only recognisable plotline is the attempt by Napoleon’s friend Pedro to win the class presidency, which spawned the nationwide trend for “Vote For Pedro” t-shirts. It’s the same principle as “Save Ferris” gear: you either get it or you don’t.

The film’s humor is extremely deadpan, and at times relies on the cast’s ability to deliver a ludicrous line with a completely listless attitude: “I realized it was my hair that was making my head hot” being a pretty fair example. The film’s title seems to operate on the same principle: there is nothing dynamic or Napoleonic whatsoever about Jon Heder’s character. He’s not even short.

To be fair, there are a few good moments. There's something strangely charming about the developing friendship between Napoleon and Deb, and I enjoyed some of the gags with Kip and uncle Rico. More importantly, I appreciate the cinematography on display here, almost reminiscent of Wes Anderson. The main difference is that Anderson fills every still frame with small details, while many of the shots in Napoleon Dynamite are almost painfully empty.

To an extent, I understand why so many people like this film. We all knew some people like Napoleon in high school, and we probably never talked to them. This film offers us a voyeuristic peek into what their lives might be like, with no hint of irony or explanation. The weirdness of that setup alone seems to be enough for some people. I don't want to deny you any fun, I just don't understand the appeal myself.

Napoleon Dynamite tends to produce polarised responses. Its fans declare that nothing funnier has been made in the last ten years, whilst detractors point to the fact that not even the most rabid admirer can explain what the joke is. There’s no denying the film’s popularity, though, and it looks set to take its place as a “modern film classic”, which more or less means that people will argue over whether it is or isn’t a classic for a good few years into the future.

It's a quirky little film that polarizes audiences, and I'm on the wrong end of that polarized response.