A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Napoleon Dynamite

Date of original theatrical release: 2004

Details:

Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)

Jon Gries (Uncle Rico)

Aaron Ruell (Kip)

Efren Ramirez (Pedro Sanchez)

Written & directed by: Jared Hess

Score: 0

The Review: High school was never as weird as this for me.

Several days in the life of high school geek Napoleon Dynamite (Heder), as he "duhs" his way through beatings, llama feedings, mentoring a new student, and other low-lights of school life. Filled with strange characters, and equally strange situations.

In the short time since its release, this has become a cult film for the high school set, with Napoleon as their hero. That audience is welcome to it -- it's beyond me -- and I can only hope (for its sake) that it becomes the stuff of nostalgia. Perhaps, if it weathers well, it will become the Fast Times at Ridgemont High for today's students -- with Sean Penn's clueless "What are you doing here, Mr Hahn?"

(30-Jul-05)

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