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	Napoleon Dynamite
	Jared Hess Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Tina Majorino, Haylie Duff, Ellen Dubin, Emily Kennard, Sandy Martin, Diedrich Bader, Shondrella Avery, Carmen Brady 2004		Even with its episodic, piecemeal approach, the mild, low-budget nerd-centric comedy "Napoleon Dynamite" from tyro director/co-screenwriter Jared Hess earns high marks for entertainment value. Geeky, lanky, frizzy-haired Heartland teen Napoleon (newcomer Jon Heder) schemes, scowls and strives to elevate himself out of the no-future proletariat world that he inhabits. Gratifyingly, he refuses to accept the loser status assigned to him by most of his classmates, his oddball, 31-year-old, chat-room-cruising brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), and his mean-spirited, scam-running Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) — the latter reluctantly serving as Napoleon's temporary guardian in the absence of the boy's wander-lusting grandma. Yet, Napoleon is still a misfit weirdo in a bland Middle American milieu (the town of Preston, Idaho). There's no reason to believe that he can actually help his best friend Pedro (Efren Ramirez), the new kid in school, win the election for student body president over the front-runner, perky/vile clique leader Summer Wheatley (Haylie Duff). Despite his affection for dweeby girl-next-door Deb (Tina Majorino), Napoleon is particularly clueless about her crush on him. But ironically, his never-give-up attitude in any and all hopeless or pathetic situations manages to be inspiring, while still generating a volley of laughs.


	Wednesday, November 13, 2024





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