Napoleon Dynamite

Parents need to know that Napoleon Dynamite is a quirky 2004 indie coming-of-age comedy. While it ultimately celebrates nerds and misfits, some may feel it fuels mockery and ridicule; others will simply find it funny. While the film is comical and satirical in its presentation, the authority figures of the high school, as well as one of the popular girls, reveal ignorance and prejudice toward a Mexican teen who is new to the school. When the teen, Pedro, runs for class president against the popular girl, there's a scene in which characters hit a pińata made to look like the popular girl. The comic action includes slapstick pratfalls (bike injuries to the groin, for instance) and exaggerated bullying by school tough guys. The language is never obscene; characters rely instead on insults ("idiot," "sicko," "retarded") and disguised swearing ("frickin'," "flippin'," "crap"). And there is mild sexual innuendo, along with some kissing and embracing. Napoleon's uncle tries to sell breast enhancement supplements door-to-door, so there's talk of breasts, breast size. There's a scene in which a school bus full of kids stops in front of a field where a farmer is on the verge of shooting a cow in the head with a rifle at point-blank range; the violence is not shown, but strongly implied by the reactions of the kids. Napoleon Dynamite became a box office bonanza and a cultural phenomenon, and spawned an animated series.