Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 film directed by Jared Hess about an awkward 16-year-old. Since its release Napoleon Dynamite has become a cult classic, over the years Napoleon Dynamite has made over 250 million dollars in DVD sales and has stayed somewhat relevant. So let’s get into it.
Acting
The acting in this movie is good but wasn’t good in the way that you think it would win an Oscar but good in the context of the movie. In my opinion, sometimes acting in a movie feels too serious in the context of the story, but Napoleon Dynamite doesn’t do that, it feels like real life watching these characters and how they figure things out instead of being dramatic and trying to be serious all the time. Outstanding acting goes to the lead Jon Heder, who portrayed the role of Napoleon Dynamite. Overall excellent acting for this film.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack in this movie is surprisingly good. The soundtrack works in a way that it’s not always present but is present in the parts where there isn’t as much dialogue and in those times with the soundtrack, we get to see what these characters are and how they look and act like. For example, in one of the first scenes where Napoleon ties a toy and throws it out the back of the bus, all we hear are the sound effects and the soaring score. This part of the movie shows us who Napoleon is. Outstanding bass. Overall the soundtrack is really good.
Cinematography
The cinematography felt very Wes Anderson stylish. It feels very symmetrical and the wide landscape reminds me of Asteroid City. This cinematography feels like Wes Anderson without the colors. Other than that the cinematography felt very quick and snappy, excellent. It doesn’t try to be something it isn’t. It captures the characters’ elements the characters’ quirky and awkward parts and the people around them. Overall really good cinematography.
Pacing
My only problem with this movie is the pacing. The pacing felt long and there are a bunch of scenes that could have been cut. It is 90 minutes long but feels like 120 minutes. I saw long movies that felt quick like Killer of the Flower Moon, which is a 3-hour 30-minute movie, and that felt like a 90-minute movie, but for Napoleon Dynamite it felt like it dragged a bunch and slowed down the movie’s pacing.
Conclusion
Overall, Napoleon Dynamite is a funny and good movie to pass the time. A few highlights are the Acting, Soundtrack, and cinematography. Director Jared Hess did an amazing job with this movie, but he has sadly started working on a Minecraft Movie. Hopefully, he can make that good. Overall, it is a very good movie, and I give it around 8.5 out of 10.