maybe I'll build her a cake or something?
Posted on 01/06/2005 4:40:46 AM PST by goldstategop
Illegal aliens are invading our country and an army of some 20 million now occupy it.
150,000 are known dead in South Asia and up to 1 million are homeless due to the tsunamis.
The 109th U.S. Congress is convening.
But, don't worry. I've got some good news for you.
And, no, I didn't just save a boatload of money on my car insurance.
There's a movie sweeping the nation right now, capturing the imaginations of young Americans, making them laugh and entertaining them – and doing all that without sex, violence, obscenity or profanity. There's nothing politically correct about it. There's no deep message in the film. It's not intended to be socially redeeming. And, unlike the biggest box-office hit of the hour, there's nothing even offensive about the name of the film.
But it is funny.
Very, very funny.
Very strange and very, very funny.
This independent film was made on a budget of $400,000 and has grossed more than $44 million.
When the DVD was released for Christmas, Fox shipped 2.5 million copies – about twice the number you would expect for a movie that grossed $44 million. It sold 1.35 million copies the first day, making it the top-selling DVD for Christmas week. As a result, Fox ordered another million copies.
Yet, when I tell you the name of this movie, many are going to say: "Never heard of it."
Are you ready?
"Napoleon Dynamite."
Ever hear of it?
If you haven't, your kids have.
And it might be a good idea to buy the DVD, sit down and watch it with them.
It's just good, clean fun.
Grown-ups are not supposed to get the humor in this movie. And some of them clearly don't. When it was released, stuffed-shirt critic Roger Ebert described it as "a kind of studied stupidity that sometimes passes as humor." Another critic said it "may be the most condescending comedy ever ..."
Like I always say: There's no accounting for taste.
I admit this is a very different kind of movie – and not for everyone. But I have seen it three times now and I could easily watch it four more. I laugh a little harder every time.
The appeal of the movie is that it captures life in high school. Yet, aside from a few language quirks peculiar to this particular generation, there's transcendency to "Napoleon Dynamite." This 2004 glimpse of high-school life is strikingly similar to my own experiences some 35 years ago.
Don't ask me what happens in this movie. The only answer is "not much." That's not the point. It's not about plot. It's about characters – funny, goofy, recognizable misfits of all ages.
Imagine "Seinfeld" set in a suburban high-school environment. If you can picture that, you may begin to picture what you are in for when you rent or buy the DVD this weekend.
I don't recommend movies often. I only watched this one because my 18-year-old daughter brought home the DVD and asked her parents to watch it with her. I'm glad she did.
Your son or daughter might not bring it to your attention.
Why don't you get the jump on them and bring it home yourself?
If you do, here's my advice:
See it with an open mind.
Don't let me raise your expectations too high and ruin it for you. (After all, nothing much happens in this movie.)
And tell me if you don't think there is something redemptive about this geeky movie.
ping
Card is a puss.
I've seen the previews and had the sick feeling I get when I see Carrot Top. Please tell me it's not Carrot Top the Next Generation.
i worked with bill mccuddy when he was a creative producer at doner advertising in baltimore... his taste in humor would be considered suspect... he tried a standup career too and i don't know how he landed the gig on fox...
although he is narcissistic and shallow he did have a good joke once about the flintstone's car... no floorboards, no brakes, no safety belts... where was ralph nader-rock when you needed him...
t
LOL -- yes, it *will*. The writer/director was channeling his own smalltown Idaho high school experiences.
LOL -- that movie's a hoot too.
Official Website.
http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/napoleondynamite/epk/index.php
Saw the movie and bought the DVD.
It isn't.
The Llama was cool.
I see you're drinking 1%, is that because you think you're fat?
I caught you a delicious bass!
I can totally relate to that scene. In high school I took my ten speed (with those old curl-under handlebars) off a dirt jump and totally biffed it in front of a couple of my friends. Wasted my bike, but my friends were ROTFWTITE.
I'm apparently a DGI. Watched it with my kids, after hearing them rave about it for months. Stone-cold boring waste of a good afternoon.
Heh my gf and I quote each other lines from the movie all the time :D
"Sweeeet!"
My teen-agers called out, "They look like they're stoned!"
I was bored watching the movie, but toward the end, the main character was intriguing. When the movie was over, I wanted to watch it again.
The lines have already become part of the family dialogue:
"What are you going to do today, Napoleon?" "Whatever I want, Gosh!"
"I see you're drinking one percent. Is that because you think you're fat? Because you're not. You could drink whole milk if you wanted to."
"Sweet!"
"That suit is incredible."
Great movie, and I don't often say that.
I watched it with my son about two weeks ago. We both loved it!
Yesterday he says so me, "So dad, what are you gonna do today?"
I said "The usual... and you?"
He says "Whatever I want!! SHEEESH." in his best Napoleon voice.
I hate it when my kids set me up like that.
;)
Rented it last night. Cute movie!
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