I am so glad "Napoleon Dynamite" is out in theaters now--we couldn't get tickets at Sundance, and I wanted to see it then! I've read comments saying that the younger the audience, the more appreciative. Hmmm...I am 40 something, and I took my 16 and 9 year old daughters. There were people of ALL ages in the theater, and I heard many many people laughing their heads off. Maybe part of its appeal was that it's set in Southern Idaho, which might as well be Utah. (We live in Utah and are NOT part of the dominant religion here..but we've grown to love our neighbors!) Part of the film's charm for me was understanding the quirkiness of some people who live here. I've read comments from people who are confused about WHEN the film takes place...there's an old saying by those of us who live in Utah (and Idaho might as well be part of Utah) "Welcome to Utah, now set your clock back 10 years"...it indeed does take things a few years to make it up here to the sticks!! And the uncle who was stuck in '82 was SUCH a hoot! What a smarmy creep he was! There were so many laughs in this movie, I don't know which part I liked best. I've read reviews from people like Roger Ebert who say that we are laughing AT Napoleon, Deb, and Pedro because we feel superior to them, and therefore, that's why people enjoy this film. I disagree with that. I found Napoleon and his friends to be likable underneath their nerdiness, and I was rooting for them the whole time. I do believe there's a valid comparison of this movie with "Welcome to the Dollhouse". Funny, I don't remember the oh-so-intellectual reviewers having a problem with THAT movie having a supposed lack of storyline (For the record, I saw WTTD, and enjoyed it...but I thought THIS movie was actually better...it was more uplifting, while "Welcome to the Dollhouse" was rather dark and more than a bit sadistic.) And as far as that goes, I don't think this movie lacked a storyline, as the director allowed for good things to happen to Napoleon at the end of the film. I found it to be heartwarming. I'll agree that this isn't for everyone, but it was very funny and I think it deserves a look.
Review of Napoleon Dynamite
