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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Nell Minow

Eponymous teen hero Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) just can't get a break. Life seems so unfair. Women only like men who've got skills, and to Napoleon that means numbchuck skills, computer hacking skills, or maybe some really sweet dance moves. Those endless arms and legs don't seem to want to cooperate well. Then there's Napoleon's uncle and his schemes to make a lot of money and go back in time to that crucial turning point in a high school football game, his best friend Pedro's campaign for class president against alpha girl Summer, and what happens when his older brother Kit's online babe shows up.

Is It Any Good?

4

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE's deliriously specific detail, superb use of the Idaho setting, affection for its characters, unexpected developments, and most of all its genuine sweetness keep us laughing with Napoleon, not at him. He may be clueless, but he has a great heart and we know he will be fine, not just for a satisfyingly happy ending for the movie but beyond.

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