We see the colour – kids on a school bus watch a farmer kill a cow – but don’t linger on internal dialogue They scream we know they’re scared we move on. Memories swim into focus, paint broad outlines, and vanish.

Keep in mind director Jared Hess describes his movie as “ so autobiographical”. Rather than following one main crisis through to resolution, Napoleon Dynamite is more like how we experience nostalgia. Napoleon watches an exercise tape and saves the day. Pedro runs for class president, shaves his head, and forgets to make a skit. Pedro and Napoleon try to get dates, work on a chicken farm and visit the state fair. Uncle Rico comes to stay, but cares more about remembering past glories and munching on steak. Napoleon befriends the new kid and grows to like Deb (Tina Marjorino). Instead, it cuts between events that take place during one school year. Napoleon Dynamite doesn’t quite follow this pattern. Something happens, causes a ton of drama, and eventually resolves.

Most plots are linear, even when they mess with time. And the dancing – well, it’s not just about the moves, is it? Here’s how it goes. Doesn’t that mean they think he’s good? It even convinces them to vote for Pedro – despite his awful speech.Įvidently Napoleon is b oth b ad dancer and good dancer at the same time, and that’s already pretty interesting. His awkward yet authentic movements are in keeping with his part in the story, and its message about being yourself.īut wait: other students break out into thunderous applause. Firstly, no, Napoleon isn’t a good dancer, at least not in the conventional sense. But what about those moves – is Napoleon a good dancer? And does it matter? It reiterates the film’s themes, resolves its various story strands, and sets the emotional tone of the ending.Ĭlearly, then, this last dance is critical. In Napoleon Dynamite, the dance is all of these. Most movies resolve with action, closure or a twist. At the last minute, Napoleon gets on stage and dances, snatching nerd victory from the jaws of defeat. Like many of the choices made in the course of the story, this sounds delusional and doomed to failure. The film ends with new kid Pedro (Efren Ramirez) running for class president. Principally about the unconventional Napoleon (Jon Heder), it’s about misfits who refuse to be anything but themselves. How Napoleon Dynamite is a “good, bad” dancer, and what the fancy footwork means for the film’s storytelling.Ģ004 offbeat indie comedy Napoleon Dynamite takes a sideways look at growing up.

Pedro napoleon dynamite