It's hard to be fair with movies as bizarre as this one. After the first twenty minutes I was convinced I had wasted some serious seconds of life, actually three hundred more than during the weekly football matches. I wouldn't want to say it was "lucky" that I went on with the film, because it was bound to happen one way or the other. Don't ask why. The great thing is, I was actually glad to do it. At least a bit...
So my problem is rather simple to pinpoint: in trying to portray the total loser "Napoleon Dynamite", the film is so borderline to the pathetic and the absurd that it nearly becomes unbearable. However, soon enough, a rather enjoyable character pops up - Uncle Rico - which simply pulsates with life and a certain "normality". What I believe struck me as pleasant was the fact that I could finally see a believable, somewhat traditional, character. Someone to whom I could relate the other guys, because they seemed so other-worldly.
Once Rico takes his place into the world, you can actually put the plot into some perspective. It all makes sense, although Napoleon, Pedro, Deb and the other terribly weird characters seem a bit exaggerated. Ultimately, there is something to get, which is really good and important. Everyone has his place in the world and no matter how strange you may seem, there's probably (definitely) someone for you...somewhere. Of course, chance was the appropriate people were around each other, which isn't necessarily valid for the real world, but even in such cases...you've got the wondrous internet, how amusing!
"Napoleon Dynamite" is, in a nutshell, a film about people who are different fitting into this "normal" world. And Napoleon is so great because he proves that everything is possible when there aren't any inhibitions, when you just do what your heart wants you to. That's a sweet way to see it and you can't look beyond the cheerful optimism. It's healthy to see joyful and honest films.
So my problem is rather simple to pinpoint: in trying to portray the total loser "Napoleon Dynamite", the film is so borderline to the pathetic and the absurd that it nearly becomes unbearable. However, soon enough, a rather enjoyable character pops up - Uncle Rico - which simply pulsates with life and a certain "normality". What I believe struck me as pleasant was the fact that I could finally see a believable, somewhat traditional, character. Someone to whom I could relate the other guys, because they seemed so other-worldly.
Once Rico takes his place into the world, you can actually put the plot into some perspective. It all makes sense, although Napoleon, Pedro, Deb and the other terribly weird characters seem a bit exaggerated. Ultimately, there is something to get, which is really good and important. Everyone has his place in the world and no matter how strange you may seem, there's probably (definitely) someone for you...somewhere. Of course, chance was the appropriate people were around each other, which isn't necessarily valid for the real world, but even in such cases...you've got the wondrous internet, how amusing!
"Napoleon Dynamite" is, in a nutshell, a film about people who are different fitting into this "normal" world. And Napoleon is so great because he proves that everything is possible when there aren't any inhibitions, when you just do what your heart wants you to. That's a sweet way to see it and you can't look beyond the cheerful optimism. It's healthy to see joyful and honest films.