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"Dynamite" Laughter
by Timothy (movies profile)
Aug 9, 2005
29
of
39 people found this review helpful
I find the teen films of the 1980's to be a guilty pleasure. When flipping channels it is hard not to find some movie starring a "brat-packer" where the cliques in high school are strongly exaggerated. I especially enjoyed the films about the geeks, nerds, dweebs, spazzes, etc. There were films such as "Lucas" that portrayed outcasts being picked on in a sad, sympathetic light, while at the same time "Revenge of the Nerds" showed a fraternity of the self-titled characters fighting for the rights of inclusion and even ending up with cheerleader hotties in the end. It is now 2004 and the geek film has taken an unexpected turn with "Napoleon Dynamite." Here we are offered a glance at a new type of outcast: one who is branded a loser and actually deserves that title from start to finish.
"Napoleon Dynamite" is the story of.....Napoleon Dynamite (John Heder). Napoleon is without a doubt dorked out beyond repair. He runs around the school with a bitter chip on his shoulder making up stories about hunting wolverines, and pretending he is a daredevil or a ninja. When his grandma is hopitalized in a dirtbike accident, his sleazy Uncle Rico (John Gries) moves into the house to look after Napoleon and his thirty-something brother Kip (Aaron Ruell).
The thing that defines "Napoleon Dynamite" as hilarious is its use of unique characters. The cast consists of a pack of losers that do not act like they want to desperately be someone else. Kip sits at home in a state of jobless content devoting hours of chat with his Internet girlfriend, LaFawnda, and Uncle Rico is a daft old fart who is hung up on the 1980's and get-rich-quick schemes. While we laugh at these characters they do not experience tear-jerking revelations that make us take back those humorous feelings. Instead they encourage to laugh more at their absurd imaginations. Napoleon exhibits this sense of apathy the most. After getting picked on at school, Napoleon does not run home and cry, or go out and try to prove to the world that he has a beautiful soul. Instead he maintains a disgusted look on his face and addresses everyone he encounters with a pushy, uppity attitude. Napoleon is not the type of high school outcast who wants to fit in with the big shots. He is so involved in his world of imagination that he does not give a care in the world about what the poplular kids think of him. Napoleon Dynamite is a character that expresses being outcast as a way of life instead of a problem, and this allows for a lot more laughs.
Another thing that "Napoleon Dynamite" manages to accomplish is taking simple slapstick humor and making it hilarious. Before seeing this film I wouldn't think that someone getting decked in the face with a steak or hitting their nuts on a bike bar would be that groundbreaking, but "Dynamite" somehow managed to make it work. I think it has a lot to do with the physical comedy being performed by dorks in ridiculous clothing. Crude comedies are sometimes appealing, but on the other hand, "Napoleon Dynamite" proves that comedies can somehow still put an audience in stitches with a "PG" rating. It certainly is refreshing to see a comedy non-dependent on farts and bodily fluids.
I didn't think it would come to this, but I think I laughed more in this movie than I did in "Anchorman". "Napoleon Dynamite" is a very original comedy that made me laugh just by watching a character's gait or listening to their tone of voice. I almost decided not to give this film an "A" grade, but I truly laughed myself silly. If I had that good of a time, then I really need to give this film credit. If you are open to unique comedy without toilet humor or pie sex, then this may be the ticket for you. |
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