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.

Main characters

• Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), the film's protagonist, is a nerd who loves to draw fantasy creatures and calls most other people "flippin' idiots". However, he lacks the aptitude typically associated with nerds, having attempted time travel with a crude device his Uncle Rico purchased on the Internet. He enjoys tater tots and tetherball. He is active in the Future Farmers of America and his school's Happy Hands Club. His best friends are Pedro and Deb.
• Pedro Sanchez (Efren Ramirez) is a new student from Colonia Juárez, Mexico. He is occasionally the target of mild antagonism on the part of the school principal. He runs for class president.
• Deb (Tina Majorino) is a shy and awkward schoolmate. She is interested in photography, and spends her time trying to earn money for college by selling glamour shots and boondoggle keychains. She often wears her hair in a single ponytail off to one side. Deb seems to be the least articulate character in the film.
• Kipling "Kip" Ronald Dynamite (Aaron Ruell) is Napoleon's wimpy older brother ("like 32 years old") who enjoys online dating and claims to be training to become a cage fighter. He and Napoleon live with their grandmother.
• Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) is the sleazy uncle of Napoleon and Kip. Rico lives in an old RV in the middle of a field. He played football in his younger days ("Back in '82") and longs to go back in time and change his fortunes. Uncle Rico enjoys eating (sometimes spitting out) steak. He watches Kip and Napoleon while their Grandma is in the hospital due to a broken coccyx. During this time, he and Kip bumble through a variety of business engagements, such as selling Tupperware and herbal breast augmentation.