Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite is an American independent film written and directed by Jared Hess. 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 debuted in 2004, earning $116,666 in its opening weekend, and over $44.5 million as of February 6, 2005. The film cost only $400,000 to make. The DVD was released on December 21, 2004. Since its release, it has gained somewhat of a cult film status among Generation Y'ers and young people, who seem to identify with the film to some degree. In 2005, it won 3 MTV Movie Awards, for Breakthrough Male Performance, Best Musical Performance, and Best Movie. It was filmed in Preston, Idaho, USA.

Background information

Preston, Idaho is a real town located near the Utah border, and is predominantly Mormon. Since the release of Napoleon, it has become a tourist attraction of sorts, with the school, Preston High School, being a main feature. Preston held a Napoleon Dynamite Festival celebrating the film on June 24-25,2005, and an estimated 6000 people attended the two-day event. Napoleon T-shirts have also become somewhat hot commodities in 2005, selling at many stores that sell novelty shirts, such as Hot Topic. In April 2005, the Idaho state legislature approved a bill 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 http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/HCR029.html.

Related Topics:
Preston, Idaho - Utah - Tourist attraction - Preston High School - T-shirt - 2005 - Novelty - Hot Topic

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The film also displays many quirky references to Mormon popular culture. Napoleon uses euphemisms like flip and heck that are common in Mormon circles, as alternatives to swearing. He wears a t-shirt for Ricks College, the former junior college located in Rexburg, Idaho now known as BYU Idaho. 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. 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. polygamy laws in the nineteenth century. Characters, even those intended to be the popular girls, do not wear shorts any shorter than knee-length. Fashions in Mormon culture tend to be more modest than those of popular culture. At the same time, the director seems to have taken care to not project an overt presence of Mormon culture. Catholic crosses and statue images are placed prominently in some scenes, particularly at Pedro's house.

Related Topics:
Mormon - Popular culture - Ricks College - Rexburg - BYU Idaho - Colonia Juarez - Polygamy - Nineteenth century

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While the film is set in the present-day, some viewers dispute the temporal setting due to several factors. For example, the music playing at the school dance is from the 1980s, featuring Alphaville and Cyndi Lauper. 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. Throwbacks to the 1990s come from music by the Backstreet Boys and Jamiroquai used in the choreography of Summer and Pedro's skits. Kip uses the Internet for dating and purchasing a "time machine". 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 since at least 1997. 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"). Finally, Napoleon's school ID card, as shown in the opening credits, clearly reads "2004/2005," unambigously setting the movie in the present-day.

Related Topics:
1980s - Alphaville - Cyndi Lauper - 70s - VCR - 1990s - Backstreet Boys - Jamiroquai - Choreography - Time machine - Dial up internet - 1982 - ID card - 2004 - 2005

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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. When asked when his movie was set, writer/director Jared Hess simply replied, "Idaho."

Related Topics:
Retro - 1980s - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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