20 years ago this summer, Napoleon Dynamite premiered in theatres. Compared to other films that played that summer (The Terminal and I, Robot), this one was rather cheesy and likely wouldn’t get two stars, let alone three. Napoleon Dynamite is set in rural Idaho and eventually becomes a cult classic.
To those of us attending college at Slippery Rock University, it became an instant hit during the winter of 2005. Starring in the movie are Jon Heder as nerdy Napoleon, Jon Gries as Uncle Rico who lives life in the past, as well as Efren Ramirez who portrays exchange student Pedro and Tina Majorino who played the crafty Deb. Majorino was a successful child actor in the previous decade. Also in the film are Haylie Duff who portrayed Pedro’s crush Summer Wheatley, and Diedrich Bader who starred as the dojo owner and karate instructor.
The one liners from the movie instantly become household, like “VOTE FOR PEDRO!” and “Your Mom goes to College!”. I had a t-shirt with the former quote on it while I was at Slippery Rock. We fell in love with the movie and started acting out scenes from it in skits. At Spring Break while we were in Panama City Beach, on the last night before going home, we were surprised with a kind gesture related to the film. The gesture was seeing “VOTE FOR PEDRO” spelled out in tater tots with ketchup for dipping. Also included was a Napoleon Dynamite-themed poem.
In the Spring of 2005, I took a film analysis class to fill an elective towards graduation. I gave an oral report on Napoleon Dynamite and even got some great questions from the audience. My professor even admitted he saw the movie and enjoyed it, calling Uncle Rico his favorite character. People from my church even enjoyed the film.
Some years after the film came out, there was a Napoleon Dynamite festival in the town where the movie was shot. I’m sure it’s no longer going on but for a time, the little town of Preston in the southeast part of Idaho was put on the map. I looked up reviews for Preston High School on Google Maps and some of them mention the movie and how it made the school popular for a time.
The film came out in the summer of 2004, but it really feels like it was set in the mid-1980’s because of the soundtrack having a few hits from that decade. The area as I alluded to earlier, is very rural with a lot of cows and farms and mountains. While the plot is very cheesy (compared to action-packed or romantic), I do live for films like this. They may fly under the radar and may not be as hyped as other movies that came out that summer. However, it’s always fun to root for the underdog and, Napoleon is still a favorite of mine to this day.
If you’re hungry, go make yourself a dang quesadilla and watch this movie! Don’t forget to feel Tina the alpaca some ham, either!
Stylish 🍒 