Napoleon Dynamite

Seething with teen-angst irritability and an obstinate blind ignorance to just how much of an outcast he is, Napoleon Dynamite may be the biggest dork in the history of high school movies. Completely lacking in social graces, the lanky, slack-jawed, sleepy-eyed, bed-headed and shoulder-hunched titular antihero of this off-kilter comedy (played with unabashed geek gusto by newcomer Jon Heder) spends most of his time arguing with his arrogant, even geekier brother (30 and still living at home) and helping his singular friend--a hapless Mexican kid whose background has ill-prepared him for life in Idaho--run for class president against the head cheerleader. Director Jared Hess's humor revels in the awkwardness of day-to-day incidentals--like Napoleon's Dungeons-and-Dragons-skewed view of the world and the jocks that almost absentmindedly shove him into lockers. But while every scene is thick with ironic wit and atmospheric minutiae (it's set in a vaguely-1980s suburban hell), Hess eventually veers toward a gift-wrapped geek-triumph finale that is out of character for the nerdy honesty of the film. Still, Napoleon Dynamite will earn knowing guffaws from anyone who didn't run with the cool crowd in high school. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, audio commentary (by director/co-writer Jared Hess, star Jon Heder, and producer/editor Jeremy Coon), the original short “Peluca” (8 min.) with optional commentary, a four-minute featurette on LaFawnda and Kip's “The Wedding of the Century,” four deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary (8 min.), four minutes of MTV On-Air promos, a soundtrack promo, still gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for one of 2004's surprise indie hits.] (R. Blackwelder)[DVD Review—May 16, 2006—Fox, 2 discs, 94 min., PG, $26.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 2004's Napoleon Dynamite (Like, the Best Special Edition Ever!) features a slew of new special features including a new cast commentary (featuring Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, and Tina Majorino), a 44-minute “World Premiere: Jared Hess” look at the director, the 42-minute “On Location” production documentary, 21 minutes of “Napoleon & Pedro Sightings” (various guest appearances by the stars), 10 additional minutes of deleted/extended scenes, and six minutes of audition clips. Bottom line: a sweet extras package for a contemporary cult classic.][Blu-ray Review—Feb. 19, 2009—Fox, 90 min., PG, $34.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2004's Napoleon Dynamite sports a fine transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including two audio commentaries (one by director/co-writer Jared Hess, star Jon Heder, and producer/editor Jeremy Coon; the other with costars Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, and Tina Majorino), a 44-minute “World Premiere: Jared Hess” look at the director, a 42-minute “On Location” production documentary, 21 minutes of “Napoleon & Pedro Sightings” (various guest appearances by the stars), 18 minutes of deleted/extended scenes, the original short “Peluca” (8 min.) with optional commentary, six minutes of audition clips, a four-minute featurette on LaFawnda and Kip's “The Wedding of the Century,” four minutes of MTV On-Air promos, a soundtrack promo, a stills gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: this contemporary cult classic comedy looks good on Blu-ray.]