So, to repeat an earlier question, why all the fuss? Surely a comedy lives or dies on the most basic of all acid-tests: is it funny or not? And here's where
Napoleon Dynamite splits public opinion deftly down the middle. There's deadpan, and then there's this. Everyone speaks in a bored, almost anaesthetized drawl. The film doesn't go anywhere, but is instead just an excuse to showcase our leading man's idiosyncrasies. And, boy is he annoying. Why is he dressed like that? And which kid really talks like that? Do we actually see anyone having fun, or would they much prefer to roll their eyes at those who are? The film looks like it should have Hot Chip on its soundtrack (in fact, aren't they pictured above?) Is it even meant to make us laugh? Isn't it all a little too... hipster? The above questions can be found in any number of bemused critics' reviews; some said that it wasn't quite to their humour, others flatly pointed out that there wasn't a joke to get. The late, great Roger Ebert gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of four, declaring that ''There is a kind of studied stupidity that sometimes passes as humor, and...
Napoleon Dynamite pushes it as far as it can go." And while you'd be forgiven for thinking that this summary had been wrongly ascribed to the work of the Farrelly brothers, there exists the opinion that spending time with these people is akin to an endurance test. Certainly there seems to be a level of tolerance required, for both its protagonist (would fans of this film automatically like
Juno, for example?) and, by extension, the film itself. For instance, what to make of the film taking liberties with the timeline; apparently stretching over three decades without explanation? The opening credits reveal Napoleon's ID badge to read '2004-2005' but the fashion and music both indicate an Eighties very much indebted to John Hughes. Then we hear a Backstreet Boys song, another by Jamiroquai- and let's not forget Kip whiling away the hours with online dating. For some these anachronisms were the last straw. When the writers themselves were asked when their film was set, they cheekily/evasively replied ''Idaho''. Another area of contention surrounding the film's humour is its target. Are we meant to laugh with or at these people? Are they striving for our affection, or is the film simply poking fun at the American underclass? We've already seen that it's not quite as playful as its PG certificate may suggest. Napoleon, Pedro and Deb are all portrayed as victims, albeit less likely to be bullied than ignored altogether. Napoleon's every utterance prompts Don, a school jock, to constantly shake his head in disbelief. Sometimes this confusion compels him to slam into the lockers, but, for the most part, his peers see Napoleon as a non-entity. Is portraying our protagonist in such a way the shortest route to our sympathy? And if so, why do some people find him so unlikeable? To others,
Napoleon Dynamite is pure nitrous oxide.
Everything is funny. Hilarious, even. Like the comic actors of the silent era, you would only have to look at Napoleon - or anyone, for that matter - and you'd double up. Despite the bickering and bizarre insults (''Why don't you eat a decroded piece of crap?''), there's surprisingly little malice. That's not to say that it doesn't cater for an older audience: there's a handful of jokes, mostly involving Rico, that nod towards the unnerving. It can be surreal (the post-credits wedding), slapstick (Napoleon hurts his crotch when a bike ramp breaks beneath him) and downright silly (practically every scene) but you can't resist being swept along. If you read the 'Parent's Guide' section of the IMDb, under the heading of 'Frightening/Intense Scenes' you'll find that there is a scene in the film in which ''It is strongly implied that a cow is shot in the head, for steak.'' And indeed it is, whereupon Rico snatches it from Kip's plate and throws it at Napoleon's face. If you're laughing at the ludicrously stea- I mean straight-faced 'warning' above, just wait until you see it happen before your very eyes. It seems a shame to say that one of the film's most memorable (and genuinely laugh- out- loud) moments comes from watching a boy being knocked off his bike with the impact of a steak to the face but, there you go.
Napoleon Dynamite is impossibly quirky, endlessly quotable, and man, can he dance...
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