Napoleon Dynamite, 2004

Napoleon Dynamite, the first major effort by director Jared Hess smacks of just that: one idea spun into a feature that drags on without much of a plot or thematic substance. It's like a pop song that just repeats the chorus over and over, with no verses containing narrative. The film has been compared to Wes Anderson's work in Rushmore, but where Rushmore is a dark comedy full of quirky characters and clever observations on human romantic liaisons, Napoleon Dynamite simply has the characters. Don't get me wrong, the characters are fabulous. Much attention has been laid upon the lead and title role, but I would argue that the supporting cast is what kept me laughing throughout the film. But an exceedingly strange cast full of funny gimmicks does not make for a great film. That fact was never clearer than when, as the film neared its conclusion, there seemed to be an attempt to wrap up all the characters with the concept of finding one's "soul mate." In some cases it was believable, in others it make no sense whatsoever. Hess' camera does well to display the solitude of the outcast coupled with the seclusion of small-town life. His wider shots of empty roadways surrounded by crops certainly portray this feeling of being alone, but it's not enough to salvage a script based on an premise the length of a SNL skit and just as tedious at times. The picture is certainly a cult favorite, to be sure, but not much in the way of a well-rounded film.

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