Napoleon Dynamite?

What's the deeeeeal with everyone loving Napoleon Dynamite? I just saw it last week and I really didn't like it. I didn't think it was smart or funny. I did like one scene though, from a photographic standpoint, the scene where Deb [Tina Majorino] calls Napoleon from the middle of nowhere from a payphone, I really liked how that looked.

Comments

[Jason]

I agree, not very good or funny or anything. I thought it was stupid.

[will]

"Napoleon Dynamite" may be the funniest movie I've ever seen. I'm removing both of you from my blogroll immediately. :-)

I will say that the people I know who also love it tend to be parents of "tweens" (like me) and teens, so maybe there's a family bonding aspect that you guys are missing.

[albert]

The most recent funny movie I recall seeing in a movie theater is The 40 Year Old Virgin.

And booted off the blogroll already?! It was a nice 12 days.

The people I know who all loved and raved about this were all stoners. I'm guessing they saw this one high.

[upyernoz]

i'm not a parent and i loved the film. i think it just depends on what kind of humor you like. i happen to like the deadpan stupid absurdist kind of humor they had in the film. there weren't any jokes or funny lines, the whole thing was just absurd.

i realize that over-analyzing humor is the best way to kill it, but hey, you asked

[Sarcasmo]

I think it helps if you recognize those characters from your past.

In fact, the people I know who find it the funniest *were* those characters in the past (although I swear we've outgrown it).

I am, however, still terrible at tetherball.

[albert]

Oh man, I was awesome at tetherball. Haven't played that in probably 15 years.

[Sarcasmo]

see... I think it's entirely possible that you are too inately cool to like Napolean Dynomite.

[albert]

I rolled with tons crowds all through school: with the geeks, the jocks and everything in between. I was bullied and at times, I was the bully. I was an underachieving smart kid who didn't study too much and a star athlete [yeah that's right, star athlete]. So, the 'inately cool' label is too lofty methinks.

I love me nunchucks and rocking out like a foolio, but I just didn't like the movie. It's not that I couldn't identify with it.

[Ajayi Harris]

The movie reminds me so much of all the awkwardness of school. Knowing what you want to say, but not how to say it, trying to relate to girls in a sexual way for the first time, having stupid relatives, and wired friends. The movie has it rolled into one 1 1/2 hour long movie. I didn't play tetherball, 4 square was my game.

[albert]

4-square, I think we called that boxball. I rocked at that too. And you can add kick ball and up for grabs to the list of recess games.