Napoleon Dynamite

If this didn't seem so much like a film made to make those same kids bust a gut laughing at nerds, the ploy might even have worked.". . It also allows the film to score some unearned points by taking a stand against the inevitable, dull tyranny of the popular kids. Lachman now sings for the band Mercy Clinic, but Vinnie Paul and Bob Zilla aren't in any new bands yet. Club states "a seemingly ill-considered run for class president that provides Napoleon Dynamite's only semblance of a plot. It is speculated that the recordings are demo recordings, as Damageplan were touring in support of New Found Power at the time of the shooting. Keith Phipps of The Onion A.V. As of September 2005, it is unknown how complete these recordings are or when they will be released.

Many other critics voiced that, while the film's humor was unique, the movie's target audience and apparent intentions met too ironically, forming an ultimately useless plot. However, www.blabbermouth.net has reported that members of Damageplan may release their second and final album with Dimebag's final recordings later in 2005. Some praised the movie for its unconventional humor, while others decried the film for much the same reason. The band has been dissolved since Dimebag's murder. Critically, Napoleon Dynamite was very divisive. (For more details about the incident, see Wikipedia's entry on Dimebag Darrell.). Although the only official movie merchandise is the DVD, many retailers are selling unofficial clothing and other merchandise based on the film, particularly "Vote for Pedro" t-shirts designed to look like the amateurish shirts worn in the movie. The band was playing the song "Breathing New Life" when Gale opened fire.

Repeating memorable quotations from the movie, such as "Sweet!","Heck yes", "Gosh", "Freakin' idiot", "Tina you fat lard, come get some dinner!", "My lips hurt real bad!" and "Vote for Pedro", has become a trendy part of popular youth culture. Damageplan was on a world tour at the time, and, according to guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell, a new album probably would have been released sometime in 2005. Napoleon Dynamite has had a very noticeable impact on popular culture since its theatrical release in June 2004. Columbus police officer James Niggemeyer soon arrived at the scene and shot the attacker, killing him. The uniting nature of diversity is more clearly expressed in a scene after the end credits in which Kip and LaFawnduh are married, where people of all backgrounds come together to celebrate within the predominantly white, conservative town. On December 8, 2004, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and 3 others were murdered when a gunman, 25-year-old Nathan Gale, took to the stage and began shooting during the band's show at the Alrosa Villa: a Columbus, Ohio, USA nightclub. Although presented subtly, diversity is a common theme in the film: Napoleon and Kip find victory and love, respectively, in African-American culture; Pedro, a Mexican, triumphs over the stereotypical blonde-haired American cheerleader. Their debut album, New Found Power, was released in the United States on February 10, 2004.

To that end, Kip ditches the Internet for LaFawnduh and subsequently a new style, Rico's ex returns to him, Deb dons a new hair style, Pedro wins over his new classmates, and the popular crowd becomes integrated with those previously considered unpopular. Their sound mixed both Pantera and Halford, with elements of Slipknot, Alice In Chains, and many other bands. Towards the end of the movie, however, everyone snaps out of the past and into the present. They were joined by ex-Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and Bob Zilla, playing bass. This is evident in Deb's fashion sense (her hair and wardrobe), Uncle Rico's appearance and wistfulness, Kip's fashion sense (a nerdy, retro wardrobe and excessively large glasses), and Pedro's bewilderment at being reprimanded for practicing a "Mexican tradition". Formed by Vinnie and Dime after Pantera disbanded. Virtually everyone in the movie is stuck either in the '80s era or a past state-of-mind. Damageplan was a heavy metal band, showcasing the patented "Power Groove" sound that was originally demonstrated by Vinnie Paul and "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott whilst with Pantera, especially on the Vulgar Display of Power album.

All the characters of Napoleon Dynamite experience a rite-of-passage. "Save Me" (2004). When asked when his movie was set, writer/director Jared Hess simply replied, "Idaho.". "Breathing New Life" (2004). The films of Wes Anderson, for instance, have the same out-dated electronics/music/clothing while still taking place in the present. "Explode" (2004). One could argue that such anachronisms have become popular in hipster film culture. "New Found Power" (2004).

The retro aspects of the movie have been suggested by some to be a depiction of cultural stagnation, or an homage to similar genre films of the 1980s, such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off. New Found Power (2004). Finally, Napoleon's school ID card, as shown in the opening credits, clearly reads "2004/2005," unambiguously setting the movie in the present-day. Vinnie Paul - drums. The hydraulically equipped car in which Napoleon gets a lift to the dance - and the music playing therein - are fairly modern icons. Bob Zilla - bass. Yet Uncle Rico (who appears to be in his late 30s to early 40s) frequently refers to his high school glory days of 1982 (the date on which he set the aforementioned "time machine"). Dimebag Darrell - guitars.

However, the model of computer is arguably from at least the early to mid 1990's and he is using a dial up internet service that charges users by how long they have been on, a practice uncommon in the US since at least 1997. Patrick Lachman - vocals. Kip uses the Internet for dating and purchasing a "time machine". The type of tupperware Uncle Rico is seen selling door-to-door has not been available for purchase for many years. Throwbacks to the 1990s come from music by the Backstreet Boys and Jamiroquai used in the choreography of Summer and Pedro's skits.

Other vestiges of earlier decades include fashion trends that reflect those of the 70s and 80s, and a VCR in the Dynamite residence that resembles those from the early days of video technology. For example, the music playing at the school dance is from the 1980s, featuring Alphaville and Cyndi Lauper. While the film is set in the present day, it contains many anachronisms. Napolean goes to Deseret Industries, a thrift store operated by the LDS Church to buy his infamous suit.

Catholic crosses and statue images are placed prominently in some scenes, particularly at Pedro's house. At the same time, the director seems to have taken care to not project an overt presence of Mormon culture. Fashions in Mormon culture tend to be more modest than those of popular culture. Characters, even those intended to be the popular girls, do not wear shorts any shorter than knee-length.

polygamy laws in the nineteenth century. The principal's reference to "Juarez"—where he assumes Pedro is from—is a reference to Colonia Juarez, a Mormon colony in Mexico founded to evade U.S. In the DVD extras, there is an interview with Jon Heder in which he jokes that perhaps Napoleon and Deb may be "sealed for time and all eternity"—a reference to the Mormon belief in "eternal marriage" or "sealing" performed in LDS temples. I'd vote for you.") He wears a t-shirt that reads "Ricks College", the former junior college located in Rexburg, Idaho now known as BYU Idaho.

(For Example: "What the flip was Grandma doing at the Sand Dunes?" or "Heck yes. Napoleon uses euphemisms like flip, gosh, and heck that are common in Mormon circles, as alternatives to swearing. The film also displays many quirky references to Mormon popular culture. In April 2005, the Idaho state legislature approved a resolution commending the filmmakers for producing Napoleon Dynamite, specifically enumerating the benefits the movie has brought to Idaho as well as for showcasing various aspects of Idaho's culture and economy [1].

Napoleon T-shirts have also become somewhat hot commodities in 2005, selling at many stores that sell novelty shirts, such as Hot Topic. Preston held a Napoleon Dynamite Festival celebrating the film on June 24-25,2005, and an estimated 6,000 people attended the two-day event. Since the release of Napoleon, it has become a tourist attraction of sorts, with the school, Preston High School, being a main feature. Preston, Idaho is a real town located near the Utah border, and is predominantly Mormon.

As Jon Heder jokingly said in an interview: "I think they might one day find it in their hearts to unite for eternity.". The film follows Napoleon Dynamite's friends Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and Deb (Tina Majorino) as they become true and close friends, and as Deb and Napoleon "hook up". The movie has no strong plot, but the largest sub-plot of Napoleon Dynamite revolves around Pedro Sanchez's quest to become Class President of Preston High School. Napoleon's nerdy, unemployed (and nearly unemployable) brother Kip spends most of his day "chattin' with hot babes" on the internet--with his surprising success serving as one of several sub-plots within the movie.

Napoleon lives with his 32-year-old computer-geek brother Kip and their grandmother, who sends the somewhat dim ex-high school jock, Uncle Rico, to look after them while she is hospitalized. As the film-makers state in the DVD commentaries, much of their own social awkwardness growing up in Utah was the inspiration for the characters. The movie is semi-autobiographical. Though the film has been described as "quirky", it is not in the same vein as the Wes Anderson films, as the main character, his brother, and some of his friends' behaviors mirror a flatness and ennui characteristic often associated with his generation.

The film showcases Napoleon's personality and circle of equally quirky friends, family, and associates in his predominantly Mormon hometown of Preston, Idaho. The film follows the protagonist Napoleon Dynamite, an introverted, dorky high school student with a penchant for "tots", drawing fantasy creatures, fishing for bass, and telling implausible stories. . It was filmed in Preston, Idaho.

In 2005, it won three MTV Movie Awards, for Breakthrough Male Performance, Best Musical Performance, and Best Movie. Although it is popular with people of all ages and generations, it is particuarly popular among members of Generation Y, who seem to identify with the film to some degree. The DVD was released on December 21, 2004. The film cost only $400,000 to make.

Napoleon debuted in 2004, earning $116,666 in its limited release opening weekend, $2,083,493 in its wide release opening weekend, and over $44.5 million as of January 1, 2006. The movie is based on the short film he directed at Brigham Young University with Jon Heder, Peluca, which was discovered at the Slamdance Film Festival. Napoleon Dynamite is an American independent film written and directed by Jared Hess. "Music for a Found Harmonium" by Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

"Light In Your Eyes" by Sheryl Crow. "The Rose" by Bette Midler. "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. "The Promise" by When In Rome.

"So Ruff, So Tuff" by Zapp and Roger. "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai. "Design" by Fiction Company. "Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys.

"Forever Young" by Alphaville. "A-Team Theme". "We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes. About 10 minutes and 03 seconds into the movie the awful looking meal that Grandma sets out for Napoleon to feed to Tina was supposed to be Hamburger Helper but when the scene was filmed it was actually Tuna Casserole with Homemade Croutons mixed in.

Jon Gries who plays Uncle Rico also does not drink milk. Between scenes, Jon Heder helped to make the boondoggle keychains which are featured conspicuously in the film. Exactly 11 minutes and 42 seconds into the film Napoelon says to Deb "I already get my hair cut at the Cuttin' Corral." The Cuttin Corral is an actual hair salon in Preston, Idaho. (Which is 200,000 dollars.).

It cost half as much to film the single extra scene than it did to film the rest of the movie. The extra scene at the end of the movie was actually included in the theatrical release of the film, not just on the DVD. Preston High School, Napoleon's high school, has started an actual "Happy Hands Club" since the release of the film. Heder also said that they started to smell.

By the end of the movie they were falling apart and were being held together by duct tape. Napoleon's "moon boots" belonged to Jerusha Hess' Uncle Wally and he let Jon Heder use them for the film. The "Happy Hands" Club was inspired by a real club at Preston High School called The "Good Hands" Club. They are listed horizontally from left to right.

All 189 student extras in the film are individually listed in the closing credits. She was played by Aaron Ruell's (Kip) wife, Julia Ruell. The lady on the bicycle who approaches Rico near the end of the film is his ex, who is mentioned earlier in the movie. The music used in the campaign poster montage is the A-Team theme song.

Joanne had a Barbie Doll and he grabbed it and tossed it out the window on a shoe lace. The scene where Napoleon is riding on the school bus and holding an action figure out the window is a reference to a prank Jon Heder played on the way to third grade with a girl named Joanne who had recently moved to his town from Labrador City, Newfoundland. Towards the beginning of the film, Napoleon draws flatulence coming out of a Unicorn's rear-end. The Director had Jon Heder dance to three different songs for the ending Dance Sequence and they took out the various songs during editing, and left the Dance Moves in and they fit together really nicely.

The boy sitting with Napoleon in the back of the bus was a local who came in for audition. Several scenes in the movie are the results of improvisation, such as Kip's reaction to backing over the Tupperware bowl and Uncle Rico knocking his video camera off of his tripod with his football. The Sound Designer put in many fly buzzing sounds throughout the film as the flies are shown. The wigs attracted flies throughout filming, as seen in the film.

Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez wore wigs for the role of Uncle Rico and Pedro. Heder mentioned in a post-production interview that he figured "almost half" of the dance moves came from watching John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Some of the moves included were inspired by *NSYNC and Michael Jackson. Jon Heder freestyled most of his dance routine with the help of Tina Majorino (Deb), who is a hip-hop instructor.

It changes from 7-17 to 7-21. He later looks at it again 47 minutes and 53 seconds into the film and if you look carefully at the top right of the watch the date changes. Exactly 46 minutes and 41 seconds into the film Napoleon looks at his watch. After Uncle Rico throws a steak at Napoleon's face, he takes a piece of steak out of his mouth and quickly places it on his plate.

When he arrived for the first day of shooting his hair "Looked like Shirley Temple's hair." said Director Jared Hess. Jon Heder lied to the Cast and Crew and said he got his hair permed for Napoleon at the same place he got it done for the short film Peluca. Jon Heder had his hair permed for the "Napoleon" look. Jon Heder's hair is not red for the last "flippin" time.

[3]. The retail store Target removed all of their Napoleon Dynamite talking pens after complaints from disability advocates over Napoleon's phrase "You guys are retarded". Jon Heder drew all of the "drawings" in the movie except the unicorn. The movie grossed over $40,000,000 in the United States.

Jon Heder was paid just $1,000 to play Napoleon. The movie was edited in producer Jeremy Coon's apartment using a $6,000 Macintosh with Final Cut Pro. Efren Ramirez liked the wig he wore for the majority of the movie so much he asked the producers if he could keep it; they said yes. Tina was also Deb's real name coinciding with the fact that Napoleon said "Tina you fat lard, come get some dinner!" (refering to the llama shortly after Deb left).

The bus LaFawnduh Lucas arrives in is a Pocatello city bus. They are not, however, "bred for their skills in magic". Napoleon's favorite animal, the liger, is actually a real animal, and exists in zoos as a result of mating a male lion with a female tiger. Executive producer Jeremy Coon has stated that the similarity is a coincidence and that the producers were unaware of Costello's usage of the name until the film was in production.

"Napoleon Dynamite" was a pseudonym used by Elvis Costello in the credits of his 1986 album Blood and Chocolate. The friend accidentally drove her Cobalt into the ocean, and Hess told her that was not the way to become a deep sea diver. This is an inside joke between Jon Heder and Jerusha Hess about a friend of Hess' who wanted to be a deep sea diver. In the DVD version, Napoleon makes an obscure remark about pearls.

He joined this club because "all of the other sweet clubs were filled" (this is revealed in the deleted scene "Second Locker Room" on the Napoleon Dynamite DVD). Napoleon enjoys dancing, and belongs to the "Happy Hands" club, which practices sign singing. The music used in the scene where Napoleon showcases his dancing skills is "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai. Ricks was a junior college in Idaho that became Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2001.

During some scenes of the movie, Napoleon is seen wearing a Ricks College T-shirt. Jon Gries (who plays Uncle Rico) is a vegetarian, and spat out every bite of red meat he chewed during filming. The title sequence was designed by famed film designer Pablo Ferro. The dishes shown in the opening credits are all eaten on at some point in the movie, and in the case of cast members, eaten by their respective characters.

Howard Stern frequently plays soundbites from the movie when his line producer JD Harmeyer is on the air or simply being discussed. Napoleon will be parodied in the February 2006 comedy Date Movie. Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez also reprised their roles in a series of commercials advertising the 2005 Utah State Fair. It was leaked online [[2]].

Bill Gates plays himself but it seems that he's the "Kip" of the skit. The skit is just 5 minutes of Napoleon Dynamite if he was going to become head of Microsoft. Heder has recently appeared in a skit shown at a conference where Bill Gates was presenting Windows Vista. Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez reprised their roles in the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken, which would involve Napoleon in the role his namesake was in.

In the 2005 National Spelling Bee, after asking for the definition of a word, one student recited the line "Do the chickens have large talons?", then proceeded to spell the word. Ilene (Ellen Dubin). Tina ("Dolly") is the stubborn llama that belongs to Napoleon's grandmother. He frequently injures and robs Napoleon and other nerds.

Randy (Bracken Johnson) is the school bully. According to Rico, there is a lot Napoleon and Kip do not know about her. She breaks her coccyx on a jump while driving a Trike (ATV) at the sand dunes while on a date. Grandma (Sandy Martin) is the divorced grandmother of Napoleon and Kip.

He is a very confident man and is married to Starla (Carmen Brady), a female bodybuilder. He is an ex-ultimate fighter and charges a large fee for his services ($300 for an 8-week program). Rex (Diedrich Bader) is sensei of the "Rex Kwon Do" martial arts dojo. In the post-credit sequence, she and Kip are wed.

After spending time with her, Kip changes his clothes and demeanor to mimic African-American or white rapper stereotypes. She is tall, stylish, and African-American contrasting with Kip's short stature, awkward demeanor, and pale complexion. LaFawnduh Lucas (Shondrella Avery) is a woman Kip met over the Internet. Her mother is a "client" of Rico.

She is a member of the school's "Happy Hands Club" along with Napoleon. Trisha Stevens (Emily Kennard) is one of Summer's good friends, and is forced into going with Napoleon to the school dance. He helps Summer on her campaign for class president and occasionally teases Napoleon and Pedro. Don (Trevor Snarr) is Summer's cocky boyfriend.

Summer Wheatley (Haylie Duff) is a stereotypical blonde cheerleader against whom Pedro runs for class president. During this time, he and Kip bumble through a variety of business engagements, such as selling Tupperware and herbal breast augmentation. He watches Kip and Napoleon while their Grandma is in the hospital due to a broken coccyx. Uncle Rico enjoys eating fried steak.

He longs to go back in time and change his fortunes, certain he had the potential to join the NFL. He played football in his younger days ("back in '82"), and is constantly living in the past. Rico lives in an old RV in the middle of a field. Uncle (Kyle) Rico (Jon Gries) is the sleazy uncle of Napoleon and Kip.

He and Napoleon live with their grandmother. Kipland "Kip" Ronald Dynamite (Aaron Ruell) is Napoleon's wimpy older brother ("like 32 years old") who enjoys online dating and claims to be training to become a cage fighter. Deb seems to be the most articulate character in the film. She often wears her hair in a single ponytail off to one side.

She is interested in photography, and spends her time trying to earn money for college by selling glamour shots and boondoggle keychains. Deb (Tina Majorino) is a shy and awkward schoolmate, a friend of Napoleon and possible love interest. His cousins are portrayed as the "cousins with all the sweet hook-ups" and help him protect a boy from having his bike taken. He runs for class president, and that is the overall plot of the movie.

He is occasionally the target of mild antagonism on the part of the school principal. Pedro Sanchez (Efren Ramirez) is a new student that the Principal of Preston High says is from Colonia Juárez, Mexico. It would seem he was named after Elvis Costello's pseudonym, as seen on the back of the album Blood and Chocolate, but director Hess denies any such connotation. He enjoys drinking milk.

His best friends are Pedro and Deb. He is active in the Future Farmers of America and his school's Happy Hands Club. He enjoys Tater Tots and tetherball. He has very poor social skills and an awkward appearance.

Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), the film's protagonist, is supposedly a stereotypical geek who loves to draw fantasy creatures.