Napoleon Dynamite

This movie released in 2004, and is described as a cult classic of High School films. It is rated 7.0 on IMDB. This is not a product of Hollywood, but real people, full of humor and back stories that keep things really interesting. Naturally, there is a bully and popular girls, but the star football quarterback is stuck in time, trying to live in the past and change it. It is a movie about nerds, those who struggle to fit in, but never can, characters who have worth that high school society refuses to acknowledge. Idaho is an ideal setting, beautiful, different and interestingly fresh. As we all desire in this genre the underdog has his day. We instinctively root for the underdog because we are him at least once, for a period of time or in a certain circumstance. 

High values are all around though they are not the things that give us thrills or romance. True values are wrapped in humility, service, loyalty, courage and steadfastness. These are not things Hollywood speaks of since WWII, in fact, it has been occupied with their elimination. Ordinary people have flaws and are not socially suave. We may not like to be reminded of this and it can be awkward. Personally, I have a similar aversion to Lucille Ball’s humor which many thought was hilarious, while I felt embarrassed for her and I was repulsed by the situations in which she found herself.

The film was originally made by the writer and director, Jared Hess assisted by Jerusha Hess. Jon Heder is the main character. It was later reproduced in a quality production. It had a budget of $400,000 and made over $46 million. It is said, “You either get it and like it, or you don’t.” Clearly, most people get it. The Hess’s have gone on to make several other successful films and are quite popular in the movie business. There are many characters and quotes worthy of comment, but “Uncle Rico” is an interesting real life study of people who are frozen in time and never seem to move beyond a period or pinnacle event in their lives. Reality includes more severe examples than what is depicted in the film, but the rescue of Uncle Rico is a charming and gracious salute to deliverance we all need and/or experience on a personally level. This film depicts a major theme in scripture – Everything works out for our good in the end. (Romans 8:28)