Napoleon Dynamite
The hilarious, sweet tale of an oddball teen
Film4 3.05pm - 4.55pm
This eccentric, very endearing small-town comedy provides a series of droll snapshots from the teenage life of Idaho nerd Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), who’s somewhat akin to a distant transatlantic cousin of our very own Adrian Mole. Tormented by bullies, spurned by the opposite sex (including Tina Majorino) and forced to live with the most dysfunctional family since the Simpsons, Dynamite is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking. It’s a tribute to both Heder’s brilliant performance and Jared Hess’s sensitive direction that we end up rooting for this gangling bag of angst even when he’s being petty and petulant. And the bizarre dance finale is something truly awesome and astonishing to witness.
Dir: Jared Hess 2004, PG, 110min