Movies - Napoleon Dynamite

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	Movies - Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite is a film directed by Jared Hess. The movie is based on the short film, Peluca
, which he directed at Brigham Young University with Jon Heder. After receiving enough personal funds to make a full length feature film, Napoleon was then filmed in the summer of 2003 in Jared's childhood hometown of Preston, Idaho.

It made its first debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2004. Napoleon debuted in June 2004, earning $116,666 in its limited release opening weekend, $2,083,493 in its wide release opening weekend, and over $44.5 million as of January 1, 2006. The film cost only $400,000 to make. The DVD was released on December 21, 2004.

In 2005, it won three MTV Movie Awards, for Breakthrough Male Performance, Best Musical Performance, and Best Movie.

Plot

The film follows the protagonist Napoleon Dynamite, an introverted, 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' behaviors mirror a flatness and ennui characteristic often associated with his generation. The movie is semi-autobiographical. As the film-makers state in the DVD commentaries, much of their own social awkwardness growing up in Utah was the inspiration for the characters.

The movie has no strong plot, but the largest sub-plot of Napoleon Dynamite revolves around Pedro Sanchez's quest to become Class President of Preston Public School. The film follows Napoleon Dynamite's friends Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and Deb (Tina Majorino) as they become true and close friends, and as Deb and Napoleon "hook up". As Jon Heder jokingly said in an interview: "I think they might one day find it in their hearts to unite for eternity."

Napoleon lives with his 32-year-old computer-geek brother Kip and their grandmother, who sends the somewhat dim ex-high school jock, Uncle Rico, to look after them while she is hospitalized. Napoleon's nerdy, unemployed (and nearly unemployable) brother Kip spends most of his day "chattin' with babes" on the internet--with his surprising success serving as one of several sub-plots within the movie.

Characters

Main

Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder
), the film's protagonist, is a stereotypical geek who loves to draw fantasy creatures. He has very poor social skills and an awkward appearance. He enjoys tater tots, Nunchucks 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 drinking milk. 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 Juárez, Mexico. He is occasionally the target of mild antagonism on the part of the school principal. His campaign for Class President becomes the main story halfway through the film. His cousins are portrayed as the "cousins with all the sweet hook-ups" and help him protect a boy from having his bike taken.
Deb (Tina Majorino
) is a shy and awkward schoolmate, a friend of Napoleon and possible love interest. 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. She drinks 1% milk.
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. After a long time of chatting, he meets a girl, LaFawnduh Lucus, and they eventually wed. (Post-credit sequence)
Uncle (Kyle) Rico (Jon Gries
) is the sleazy uncle of Napoleon and Kip. Rico lives in an old van in the middle of a field. He played football in his younger days ("back in '82"), and is constantly 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 microwaved 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 imitation Tupperware and herbal breast augmentation.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Napoleon Dynamite ]

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Movies - Napoleon Dynamite

Plot

Characters

Main

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