Napoleon Dynamite

Name: Napoleon Dynamite
Director: Jared Hess
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2004
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 6.9
Cast: Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Tina Majorino

IMDb6.9 HD 2004 96 min

Comedy

Napoleon Dynamite lives in Preston, Idaho, with his grandmother, his 32-year-old brother Kip who chats online all day, and a llama named Tina. His uncle Rico sells plastic bowls door to door and thinks about 1982. Napoleon draws ligers, plays tetherball alone and tells people he spent the summer hunting wolverines. Napoleon Dynamite cost 400,000 dollars, made 46 million, and nobody has ever agreed on what it is about.

What Happens In Preston

Pedro, the new kid from Mexico, decides to run for class president against the most popular girl in school. Napoleon is his campaign manager. Deb sells glamour shots and key chains door to door and likes Napoleon, which he does not understand. Kip meets LaFawnduh. Uncle Rico tries to sell breast enhancement. The climax is Napoleon performing a dance to Canned Heat in front of the whole school with no warning and no explanation, and it wins the election.

Why It Became A Cult

Jared Hess shot it in his home town in 22 days with a cast of unknowns. Jon Heder was paid 1,000 dollars. The film has no plot in the normal sense and almost no jokes with punchlines, and that is why it split audiences in 2004 and why the people who liked it loved it. “Vote for Pedro” shirts are still being sold.