Napoleon Dynamite turns 10
TORONTO — Of all the memorable lines in Napoleon Dynamite, the quirky comedy that introduced the world to “ligers” and “Vote for Pedro” T-shirts, there is one that gets hollered at star Jon Heder more than any other.
“Tina, you fat lard, come get some dinner,” says Heder, easily adopting Napoleon’s indignant, breathy voice after all these years.
The line — directed at his grandmother’s pet llama, Tina — perfectly captures the offbeat tone of the 2004 film. Made for just $400,000, the movie made $46 million worldwide.
Heder, now 36, celebrated the film’s 10th anniversary this week with other cast members in Los Angeles, where a statue of Napoleon was unveiled on the Fox Studios lot. In a phone interview, he said the film’s cult following continues to this day.
“I think people really related to Napoleon, whether they felt like him growing up or knew someone like that,” he said. “Even though it’s kind of over the top and funny, he’s trying to get skills, he’s trying to figure out what he’s good at and everyone can relate to that.”
The bizarre comedy set in a rural Idaho town follows Napoleon, a frizzy-haired teenager with a slackjawed expression, and the unusual characters around him: his shrimpy brother Kip; football-obsessed Uncle Rico; and shy, crafty friend Deb, played by Tina Majorino.
Director Jared Hess took inspiration from his own rural upbringing while writing the film with his wife, Jerusha. His brothers even worked at the chicken farm where Napoleon toils, and the llama actually belonged to his mother. “After the film screened for the first time at Sundance, my mom came up to me afterwards and said, ‘Well, that was a lot of embarrassing family material’,” said Hess with a laugh.
Asked whether he ever gets tired of being so closely associated with one character, Heder said: “I would, if I really didn’t like him. But I love the movie. I’m so blessed that it was my first film. It’s very close to my heart. ... I was starting my career, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to do it.