Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2225. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

    2225. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on July 23, 2018 2004, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Comedy, Jul 18, Movies Of 2018, Review, United States
    7.6 Fun and likable, but a bit tiring
    • Acting 7.7
    • Directing 7.5
    • Story 7.7
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Efren Ramirez

    Director: Jared Hess

    Running Time: 96 mins


    Napoleon Dynamite is an American film following the misadventures of an eccentric teenager, as he struggles with a complex school life and an even stranger home life.

    Although it may not look like it from the outside, Napoleon Dynamite is both a very entertaining and very likable movie, taking a small group of deliberately unenergetic and unspectacular characters and putting them on show in a story full of humour and a surprising amount of heart, making for a very enjoyable watch right the way through, even if some of its major running jokes do tire throughout.

    There’s a lot to like about this film, but what really took me by surprise was how entertaining and likable the main characters are. At the beginning, Napoleon Dynamite, along with his family and friends, are portrayed as a small bunch of deluded idiots, and the film starts off in entertaining fashion as you laugh at their various misfortunes and failures that feel rather deserved given their confrontational and often arrogant attitudes.

    That’s where the comedy is strongest, and throughout the first act, there are some really big laughs as a result. However, as the film goes on, and we see those characters come up against properly arrogant and unlikable adversaries, they prove themselves more and more genuine, and even though they’re not quite the most charismatic personalities, there’s something contagiously likable about them that helps them to really grow on you throughout.

    And in that, there are some really heartfelt and uplifting moments that balance the film’s excellent sense of humour with a consistently genuine story that never meets any overly cheesy pitfalls. That’s why I was, come the end, watching with a big smile on my face, something I really didn’t expect at the outset of this film.

    Of course, a lot of the lead characters’ likability comes from the very strong performances. Again, it may seem at first that they’re all just being annoying, low-energy losers, but the likes of Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez and Tina Majorino do well to balance that comedic element with strong acting that keeps their characters interesting and enjoyable to watch throughout. They won’t have ever been set to be Oscar winners, simply because it’s rather hard to put your finger on quite what is so entertaining about them, but I was really impressed and joyed by all of their turns here.

    If there is one complaint that I would have with this film, it’s that the running joke of everything being so ridiculously low-energy and charismatic doesn’t quite hold up for the entire runtime. It’s really funny at first when you’re laughing at the characters, but as the movie goes on, it’s something that proved really tiring for me, failing to keep the laughs consistent throughout. With that said, the story’s more heartfelt and genuine elements break into action towards the end, so it’s less of a problem, but if you’re just here for laughs, then it’s fair to say that this does ultimately run out of steam.

    Overall, I had good fun with Napoleon Dynamite. It’s not quite perfect, but it takes a very eccentric premise and makes it work brilliantly, with great humour early on complemented by good heart and very likable characterisation towards the finish, making for a surprisingly enjoyable watch right the way through, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.6.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.9
    Review
    May 28, 20190

    2567. Bus 174 (2002)

    8.0
    Review
    November 29, 20180

    2365. Serial (Bad) Weddings (2014)

    8.0
    Review
    January 26, 20190

    2435. The Man From The Future (2011)

    8.2
    Review
    February 10, 20160

    1249. Deadpool (2016)

    8.0
    Review
    December 10, 20180

    2379. Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai (一命) (2011)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.