*** Official NAPOLEON DYNAMITE Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[L. Anton Dencklau]

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[Rogozhin]

I loved this movie. I have a student that IS ND. I also have two students that share all of pedro's attributes.

I believe that most of these critics (including the one in this thread) never attended a small town public high school-nor have they ever taught in one. Most likely they are private school children.

Rogo

 

[nickGreenwood]

I must admit when I first heard about this movie, I was quite adamant that I wasn't going to see it. I didn't want to see it because I did know people like that in High School, yes Al I really did. But then all my friends started quoting it, so I watched it last night. For all it's faults, that's honestly what makes the whole film. It's basically a look at the life of a high school weirdo over the course of a couple of days or weeks, whatever. It honestly has no plot, but does your life? That's what I felt like I was watching, a glimpse of someone else's life.
Napoleon himself is an anti-hero, quite well done in fact, he through out the film just does not care one bit what people think about him until his Uncle starts to meddle in his life. He doesn't seem happy about being the outcast but he does accept it, when he meets Pedro he seems himself to some degree I think. His home life isn't much different, he has to deal with a weirdo brother who is 32, stuck in 1982 (as people keep pointing out) still wearing those coke bottle, computer programmer circa 1980's glasses and wears knee high socks. He has to deal with an eccentric, butch, grandmother and her llama. Then his uncle who is the quintessential former high school jock who never went anywhere. These are all things that make it seem that much more realistic, I know people like this, I went to school with people like this.
The reason Al, I think that you seem to think they do things that don't get them anywhere is because we all do this, we do a lot of things that don't get as anywhere, or anything, some things in life aren't like a movie, as much as I wish it were sometimes. Not everything in a film, tv show or whatever has to lead somewhere, I've written some stuff that has a subplot that will never go anywhere it's what makes the film/tv watching experience that much more interesting. I'm not saying that this is good all the time, but in a movie about nothing (much like Seinfeld) it's about life. Or at least this is my humble opinion.
I tend to agree with whomever it was that made the comment that if you don't live in a small community it doesn't make that much sense, but this is not always the case, I'm sure there all people all over the place in big cities to small 200 people sized towns.
Anyway, I liked the film, it was funny, I didn't find myself laughing all the time, but I did find a new movie to quote. GOSH!

 

[Neil J]

Can anyone imagine laughing during a movie and some yahoo coming up after to ask why you enjoyed it?

 

[Jason Adams]

I live in NYC, and I know some kids like that...but I loathed this movie. It felt weird for the sake of weird...not the organic type of weird.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

I've seen the first 35 minutes but I had to stop it. Does it get any better than what I've already seen?

~Edwin

 

[MatS]

ditto

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I haven't actively disliked a movie this much in a long, long time. God damn was it a chore to sit through.

 

[teapot2001]

Edwin, you basically saw the whole movie in the first 15 minutes.

~T

 

[Brandon Conway]

Either you find hitting a person in the face with a steak funny, or you do not.

As Roger Ebert has said, humor and eroticism are the toughest things to make a general guideline for because it is difficult to determine what will make somebody laugh or what will turn someone on.

 

[Tino]

Told you Edwin!

I was indifferent to this film while my wife was practically laughing non stop.

The tone of the film is definitely set early on so if you don't like it from the getgo, chances are you won't like it at all.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

You didn't tell me anything! I didn't know that this was an MTV Films production. The minute I saw that I knew immediately that there was going to be a problem. Had I known that MTV was involved, I wouldn't have rented it to begin with.

As much as I would like to add one more count to my 2004 film list to make me look completist, I don't think I'll finish it. I'll stick by my slogan below.

~Edwin

 

[L. Anton Dencklau]

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[Bob Turnbull]

Not exactly keeping an open mind there Edwin...You doomed the film to failure in your mind before it started. At least you're admitting your bias though.

Though I enjoyed the film overall, I do agree with some of the sentiments about it feeling clever for clever's sake. Just some though, as the spirit of the characters remains true through the exagerations.

 

[Kirk Tsai]

I'm not a fan of this film either, but yes, there is one scene with Napoleon dancing that is far better than any other part of the movie near the end.

Besides BLT, off my head, I think MTV was also involved in Election (Payne), as well as solid genre pictures in Coach Carter and Save the Last Dance, so don't be too quick to judge.

 

[Brandon Conway]

For the record, MTV only assisted in the distribution/promotion of the film, even after Fox Searchlight picked the film up at Sundance. They had nothing to do with the making of the film itself. Nothing was changed post-Sundance except the opening title "cards."

The production companies for the film were Access Films and Napoleon Pictures Limited.

 

[Tino]

Didn't tell you anything?? You sure have a short memory!

I told you that I was pretty sure that you wouldn't like it.

Also writing off a film made by MTV (not the case here as I told you too) is prejudgemental and will cause you to miss out on some good films.

Why the hatred(?) for MTV films Ed? You sure hold a lot of biases lately.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

Actually, the part that I saw wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It just wasn't going anywhere.

As far as MTV released films go, I still have yet to be wowed by one of them.

~Edwin

 

[Patrick Sun]

From my short review:


I guess that's a problem, but it is what it is.

 

[Steve Felix]

No one I know personally is into movies, but it seems like everyone I do know is discovering this movie this week. The college and high school mainstream LOVE it. My sister said she had suddenly heard about it from all directions and saw it the other day. I feel ahead of the curve, having seen it in a theater months ago.

It's got a hilariously original lead performace, and I admit I had to stifle laughter for a sustained period after Kip drives his van over the container he's trying to sell, it explodes, and he just drives away.

I wasn't laughing at the movie or down at the characters. Although everyone is exaggerated and a little crazy, I for one can laugh at pieces of myself in the unfocused frustration of Napoleon or the desperation of his far from self-actualized uncle. I'm going to give my peers some credit and say that they like it because they recognize the universality in these characters who, as in Ghost World and Rushmore, are fearlessly, obliviously themselves (to a fault).