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Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite

Comedy · 2004

A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.

Movie details

Napoleon Dynamite

“He's out to prove he's got nothing to prove.”

2004 Comedy 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Napoleon Dynamite?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Ramona and Beezus

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Comedy · 2010

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jared Hess

Written by

Jared Hess · Jerusha Hess

Jon Heder

Jon Heder

Napoleon Dynamite

Efren Ramirez

Efren Ramirez

Pedro Sanchez

Tina Majorino

Tina Majorino

Deb

Aaron Ruell

Aaron Ruell

Kip

Jon Gries

Jon Gries

Uncle Rico

Sandy Martin

Sandy Martin

Grandma

Diedrich Bader

Diedrich Bader

Rex

Court is in session

Put Napoleon Dynamite on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.