Napoleon Dynamite - A little closer to reality

The skies poured rain upon us this weekend. Considering I live in a desert city, this was somewhat surprising. Perhaps more surprising was the fact that I had stepped out of the movie theater 2:30 am early Saturday morning having watched Napoleon Dynamite for the 2nd time in three days. See, it is unusual for me to watch a movie more than once (at least until it hits television). Watching movies is such a time consumer that I try to at least watch different movies.

I was curious, so I went to see Napoleon Dynamite for the first time. I would hesitate to call the movie great. The protagonist is seriously flawed and not very likable. The characters seem a bit underdeveloped. The plot is flimsy at best. Although the movie is very funny at times, what would possess me to go back?

Upon further reflection I realize Napoleon Dynamite is actually a much closer representation of reality than most movies. So what if the movie has no point to it? Rarely does life have a point. As illustrated in the movie, life is more like a series of events that come after each other. There are highs and lows, but they tend to come unexpectedly and without rhyme or reason. I look at Napoleon Dynamite as the antithesis of the WB network and all the 'teen' movies that have come out over the years. I mean, how often in real life do you see people who are so good looking, articulate, and well adjusted. You may know a few of these people, but certainly not everone. Napoleon Dynamite looks at the other extreme. The main character is obnoxious and pathetic. Social interaction is awkward and stilted. Even the popular kids seem more or less ordinary. Granted, the film exaggerates a little, but that's what makes it funny.

Napoleon Dynamite is not for everybody. I liked it, perhaps because it is so opposite of all the typical teen movies, that I feel by seeing it, I'm helping to restore the cosmic balance of the universe. I know someone who saw it (twice) to see the 'stupodity' of it (and I'm quoting him verbatim). The real star of the movie is not Napoleon himself, but the world he lives in. It is both absurd, yet somehow familiar.