Well, new year and new film. My first of 2008 was Napoleon Dynamite, a film lots of people were telling me I had to see, and which I wasn't disappointed by. It's not the kind of film I would usually seek out but after being turned onto it by my younger brother and sister I was pleasantly surprised.
Jared Hess' Napoleon Dynamite follows a few trends of recent years to a unique result. Combining the superficial quirkiness of Wes Anderson films with the alternative high school movie of Donnie Darko and Anderson's Rushmore, Napoleon Dynamite is a humorous but also touching film about the reality for many people of growing up on the fringes of 'cool'.
This is a world populated by adolescents, where everybody is searching for something. The only significant adults are Uncle Rico (Jon Gries), desperate to return to 1982 and his own youth, to have another chance at becoming a professional football player; and Napoleon's older brother, the impressionable Kip (Aaron Ruell), who first follows Rico's business plans before reinventing himself as a 'gangsta' for his on-line soulmate. Among Napoleon's friends are Pedro (Efren Ramirez), the new Mexican student seeking acceptance as the school President, and Deb (Tina Majorino), trying to raise money for college by selling home-woven trinkets door-to-door.
Napoleon himself (Jon Heder) is the only character to regularly voice his frustrations, either by expelling air or huffing "Gosh" and "Idiot". But even this is in a regular superficial manner, a constant hostility towards those around him. It's not until his final dance that he truly expresses himself emotively (recalling Claire Denis' far more impenetrable but excellent Beau Travail). Up until this point all of the characters have assumed an emotive neutrality akin to the 'models' of Robert Bresson, seemingly dulled by modern life. Equally, the pastel look to the photography conveys a sense of washed-out senses and general boredom. This is all played out to brilliant comedic effect, partly relying on charicatures, and yet no characters seem contrived, and are in fact easily recognisable.
Refreshingly, this story is told from the geek's point of view and all the characters seem content with who they are, rather than undergoing the turmoil of identity that many experience at high school. Also, everyone seems to be uncomplicatedly goodhearted, with even the bully apparently harmless, and quiet warmth unspoken amongst the school community (witness the rapturous response to Napoleon's final dance). This is emphasised in the final shot of the film proper when Napoleon asks Deb, "You wanna play with me?". What we originally took to be an ill-informed sexual approach is revealed as a simple request for friendship and companionship.
Jon Heder, as Napoleon, is fantastic, embodying the hero with enough disdain and weakness to both entertain and endear him to us. The supporting cast is also brilliant to the last man and the director's hand is always visible in the definite style, whilst never suffocating the story. I have also seen Hess' subsequent Nacho Libre, as well as Blades of Glory featuring Jon Heder, and although neither film compares, it is clear that Napoleon Dynamite has introduced some great new talent to us, as well as capturing the attention of a generation (both my brother and sister got 'Vote for Pedro' t-shirts for Christmas)!
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