Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

"Heck yes! I'd vote for you."

Director

Jared Hess

Cast
Jon Heder - Napoleon Dynamite
Efren Ramirez - Pedro Sánchez
Tina Majorino - Deb
Aaron Ruell - Kip Dynamite
Jon Gries - Uncle Rico
Sandy Martin - Grandma

Shondrella Avery - LaFawnduh

Haylie Duff - Summer Wheatley
Emily Kennard - Trisha Stevens


It took me a long time to figure out why the 2004 comedy "Napoleon Dynamite" is as popular as it is. I'm still not certain if I know for sure. It has some funny bits, but is that enough to make a low budget flick like this so popular? Of course, I'm probably overthinking it. What I can say with certainty is that out of all the comedies I remember seeing, "Napoleon Dynamite" is the best example of lightening in a bottle. 

I first watched "Napoleon Dynamite" back in 2005 or 2006. I had no interest in it before that, and only knew about it because I had heard people often quoting it. I also kept seeing random people dawning those "Vote for Pedro" shirts out in public. I had no clue what that meant, or who "Pedro" was until I saw the movie. 

Back then. the sister of a friend of mine loved this movie! So, she had a movie night at their apartment and put "Napoleon Dynamite" on. 

Well, the penny dropped in regard to those Pedro t-shirts after watching it. 

I laughed and found some things about "Napoleon Dynamite" entertaining. It's innocent and certainly carries its own style that feels unique enough. But the one mystery that gripped my mind even upon my first viewing is the plot. What the hell is the plot? 

That was the first comment out of my mouth.

"Napoleon Dynamite" is among the movies I wanted to write about ever since starting this blog. To me, it's an enigma. 

The story begins on just another day in Napoleon's (Jon Heder) life as he waits for the school bus outside his house in Preston, Idaho. He lives with his brother Kip (Aaron Ruell), his grandma (Sandy Martin), and Tina the family llama...I guess? 

Napoleon's grandma ends up breaking her coccyx bone in a quadbike accident at the sand dunes. So, his Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) stays with Kip and Napoleon to watch over them while grandma is in the hospital. 

Uncle Rico, who lives out of his van, is stuck in his past as he constantly reminisces about his high school football days back in 1982. He often wishes he could go back in time to those glorious football days and somehow change the course of his life so he can fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL.

Kip spends his days in online chat rooms chatting with "babes." 

Rico talks Kip into joining his get-rich-quick scheme selling Tupperware door-to-door. Meanwhile, Kip has been trying to get his online sweetheart, LaFawnduh (Shondrella Avery), out to Preston so they can be together. 

Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite

At school, Napoleon becomes friends with new student Pedro Sánchez (Efren Ramirez). He also becomes pals with a shy girl named Deb (Tina Majorino) who stops by the Dynamite house early in the film to sell handmade tchotchkes in order to earn money for college. 

There's a bit of a romantic chemistry between Deb and Napoleon though Pedro asks her to the school dance. 

Napoleon ends up asking a random girl named Trisha Stevens (Emily Kennard) by drawing a portrait of her. Her mother forces her to go because Uncle Rico, while trying to sell Trisha's mom on his 24-piece food storage set, claims Napoleon gets beat up at school and still wets his bed. 

At the dance, Trisha ends up ditching Napoleon to go hang with her more popular friends. But Pedro lets him dance with Deb for a few songs. It's awkward for both, but the sparks are there.

Sometime later, Pedro decides to run for school president despite his lack of self-confidence. His opponent in the race is Summer Wheatley (Haylie Duff) - the attractive and popular girl at Preston High. 

So, Napoleon helps Pedro campaign around school, putting up posters and handing out tchotchkes Deb made. 

He even puts together a last-minute dance routine as Pedro is unaware that he needs to perform a skit following his campaign speech in front of the entire student body. Earlier in the movie, Napoleon finds a VHS tape called "D-Qwon's Dance Grooves" at a thrift store and teaches himself dancing. So, he puts this knowledge to good use for Pedro's sake despite whatever humiliation he could face at school. But the crowd loves his routine.

By the end, this helps Pedro win the students' vote. And everything simply wraps up with a post credit scene at Kip and LaFawnduh's wedding. 

The entire movie is like a section cut from Napoleon's life. Yet, the movie manages to have some character development. Or I'm overanalyzing it. 

The first half of the movie is insight into the Napoleon's world - his high school and social experiences alongside his eccentric family life. Evidently Napoleon helping Pedro get elected school president is the plot. If that's the case, it feels like it was thrown in last minute as if the producers realized more than halfway through production that they forgot to include a plot. So, they come up with something just so their flick could have one. This plot point doesn't happen until the final act of the movie.

As for character development, Pedro is a character used to change Napoleon's attention off of himself and onto others.  

Napoleon initially comes across as clueless and taken in by slightly amusing things. He's a bit similar to Uncle Rico and Kip constantly focused on themselves. They're cluelessness is what passes at humor. Not only is Napoleon clueless, but he's also amateurish and socially awkward...unless you consider the outlandish lies he tells others about himself, which are blatantly ridiculous, to be a form of social activity.

I'm confused if this is supposed to make him endearing or stupid. Am I supposed to like him or feel sympathy for him? Or do I laugh at how awkward he is? Is he an unfortunate character, or just a weird kid at school who's trying to find a place to fit in, in the small town of Preston?  He's often bullied and is seen playing tetherball by himself on the school yard. That much makes Napoleon a sympathetic character. As for the rest, I don't know.

Efren Ramirez and Jon Heder.

Late in the film, Uncle Rico visit Deb for some headshots (Deb is into photography). But having gone from selling Tupperware to female breast enhancements, he lies and tells her that Napoleon thinks she would be interested in these enhancements.

Deb calls up Napoleon in anger and refers to him as a "shallow friend" for thinking such a thing about her. But when she sees his last-minute dance routine to help Pedro, she becomes the first friend the audience sees play him in tetherball.

He also catches her a "delicious bass" after her phone. It's an unusual gesture, but a selfless one none the less, in an attempt to mend their friendship. 

The opening credits with the title song "We're Going to Be Friends" by the White Stripes pulls the audience into the independent low budget feel of the film. It's creative and unique as though it was made by high school students for a school video project. The opening credits sets the film in the 2004-2005 school year. The overall appearance and style make the movie feel like its set in the 1980s or early 1990s sometime. The music by John Swihart that resembles dated waiting room music is the perfect touch to that atmosphere. I take it that is writers Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess's way of making the story autobiographical to whatever degree it might be so.

After seeing this movie at my friend's house, I ended up watching it again on my own a few days later. There's a scene that had me in tears. 

After Napoleon asks Trisha to the school dance, he gets a job at a chicken farm. During an unusual lunch break, one of the farmers named "Lyle" (Dale Critchlow) randomly blurts out something unintentionally incoherent. I had to turn on subtitles to figure out what he said. He says something about finding Shoshoni arrowheads over by a creek bed. It kills me each time! I kept rewinding that scene over and over again because it made me laugh so hard.  

If I could compare the style of "Napoleon Dynamite" to anyone else's style, it would be Wes Anderson. It reminds me of an Anderson movie as far as framing, use of symmetry, and monotone dialogue. But while Anderson's movies often have a hint of fantasy and imagination, "Napoleon Dynamite" is much more realistic, and sees the humor within everyday life. 

Aside from a variety of quotable lines, I think the movie's relatability makes it appealing to younger audiences. Napoleon's experiences in the awkward realm of high school as well as dealing with the strange quirks and idiosyncrasies of his family members speak to the movie's younger audience. Despite it's weird pacing and plot (if there is a plot), it somehow works thanks primarily to its familiar scenarios and the humor behind them. 

  

Casino Royale (1967) - Springtime for Classics

"Seven James Bonds at Casino Royale. They came to save the world and win a gal at Casino Royale. Six of them went to a heavenly spot. The seventh one is going to a place where it's terribly hot."

Directors
John Huston
Ken Hughes
Robert Parrish
Joe McGrath
Val Guest

Cast

David Niven - Sir James Bond, 007

Orson Welles - La Chiffre 

Peter Sellers - Evelyn Tremble/ James Bond
Ursula Andress - Vesper Lynd/ James Bond

Joanna Pettet - Mata Bond/ James Bond

Daliah Lavi - The Detainer/ James Bond

Woody Allen - Jimmy Bond
Deborah Kerr - Lady Fiona McTarry/ Agent Mimi

William Holden - Ransome

Charles Boyer - Legrand

John Huston - 'M'

Barbara Bouchet - Miss. Moneypenny

In the James Bond universe, the 1967 film "Casino Royale" doesn't seem to show up among the 23 other listed 007 movies. Not to be confused with the 2006 James Bond movie of the same name starring Daniel Craig, this "Casino Royale" isn't a part of the Bond canon, as though the other movies are ashamed of it or something. That shame is likely due to the film being a satire of Bond movies. Still, it's loosely based on James Bond author/creator Ian Fleming's novel "Casino Royale." Afterall, the 1983 James Bond movie "Never Say Never Again" with Sean Connery isn't considered canon either. It's basically a retelling of the Bond story/ film "Thunderball," the film version of which was released in 1965. And like "Never Say Never Again," this movie was not produced by Albert Broccoli who produced most of the Bond movies from 1962 up to 1989's "License to Kill." His name is listed as a presenter on the 1995 Bond flick "GoldenEye." 

Yet, "Never Say Never Again" gets to be included in the Bond filmography. That's probably thanks to Connery's presence after a 12-year hiatus since "Diamonds are Forevers" (1971). It's his last portrayal of the famous MI6 spy. 

Not even David Niven, who plays James Bond in "Casino Royale" doesn't seem have a spot on the list of actors who had the honor of playing 007 - Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, and Craig. Actually, several actors play Bond in this flick, but you won't find any of them on the "who played Bond" list. 

In this movie, Sir James Bond (Niven) has been retired from the British spy business for a good 20 years. He lives in a large mansion and has a bumbling pushover nephew named Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen).

James Bond seems to be enjoying retirement until he's paid a visit by MI6 head "M" (John Huston) along with KGB representative Smernov (Kurt Kasznar), and an executive name Legrand (Charles Boyer) from France's external military intelligence agency. 

This trio from the Cross Spy agency implore Bond to come out of retirement and help them handle SMERSH - an evil agency that has been taking out agents. 

Bond has no desire to come out of retirement. So, 'M' applies a little pressure when he orders agents to fire mortars and destroy Bond's mansion.

M is accidentally killed in the explosion, and his top is blown - literally. 

David Niven as Sir James Bond and
Barbara Bouchet as Moneypenny in "Casino Royale'

So, Bond returns M's toupee to his widow, Lady Fiona McTarry (Deborah Kerr) at their Scottish estate. 

Unbeknownst to Bond (I think), Lady McTarry has been replaced by SMERSH agent Mimi (Deborah Kerr). And the entire estate is inhabited by a respectable amount of gorgeous young girls. Together, they want to tarnish Bond's clean image as a pure gentleman by seducing him. Bond certainly doesn't fall for their hanky-panky. His restraint impresses Mimi so much that she denounces her evil ways and joins a convent. 

Bond finally agrees to be head of MI6. When he takes the gig, he's informed that a lot of British agents have been taken down by the enemy thanks to their inability to resist sexual advances from beautiful women. 

Upon hearing this, he orders that any MI6 agents still around will now be referred to as "James Bond 007." This ought to confuse SMERCH. 

Bond also creates a training program for all the James Bonds to strengthen their will power against attempted seductions and resist sexual urges. 

Bond hires Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress) who's a former agent now enjoying life as a millionaire. Her job is to recruit Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers), an expert baccarat player, in order to beat SMERSH financial agent Le Chiffre (Orson Welles) who has been embezzling SMERSH money. Le Chiffre is desperately trying to cover up his wrongdoing before he's caught and executed. 

Meanwhile, Bond has it on a clue from Agent Mimi that a foreign aid group calling itself "International Mothers' Help" is actually a SMERSH training facility. So, he gets his estranged daughter, Mata Bond, to head over to West Berlin and check it out. 

While investigating, Mata comes across a plan to distribute compromising naughty pictures of various military leaders from the U.K., United States, China, and the U.S.S.R. through an art auction. 

It's really a money-making scheme set up by Le Chiffre. 

Mata puts the kibosh on these plans, leaving baccarat the only money-making option for La Chiffre. 

Tremble and Lynd makes their way to the Casino Royale to challenge La Chiffre.

Tremble notices that La Chiffre always has sunglasses on during game play. He has Lynd steal them and hand them over to him. 

These glasses give La Chiffre the ability to see the cards through infrared technology. 

Without these glasses, he has no way of cheating. La Chiffre can only use magic tricks to impress those standing around the baccarat table as he and Tremble play. 

Lynd ends up getting kidnapped outside the casino, followed soon after by Tremble after he beats La Chiffre out of a lot of money. 

Not willing to go down quietly, La Chiffre wants Tremble to return his winnings back to him. So, he tortures Tremble with some hallucinogenic stuff. 

After Lynd attempts to rescue Tremble, SMERSH agents raid La Chiffre's home and kill him. 

Speaking of kidnapping, Mata also gets kidnapped by SMERSH in a big flying saucer and is taken to Casino Royale. Bond goes to rescue her, along with Moneypenny (Barbara Bouchet) - the daughter of the former Moneypenny. However, when he arrives, Bond discovers who's really behind the dastardly SMERSH plans. The casino is built above the headquarters of the evil Dr. Noah, the identity of whom takes Bond by surprise. 

Dr. Noah reveals his plans and... they're not good!

The entire movie carries on like the humor and story were written as the movie carries along. Or, perhaps, they hired a few inexperienced young teens - the kind who think kissing and boobies are hilarious - to brainstorm some ideas as to what a funny James Bond movie ought to include. The flying saucer, among other things, gives that impression. The constant make-out scenes do as well. An entire scene with nothing but Scottish jokes that go on and on feels juvenile. And (spoiler) it all culminates to one big fight at the end. 

Peter Sellers and Ursula Andress.

The humor plays out like a bad joke that overstays its welcome. The risqué humor may receive an uncomfortable laugh at first, but then carries on like the writers were proud of themselves for making someone laugh. So they tell the same jokes again and again, and again. 

That's not to say there's nothing at all funny in the movie. 

I enjoy watching Peter Sellers immensely. He's a rarity in the comedy world who can make me laugh just by staring off with a deadpan look on his face. Bill Cosby couldn't even pull off what Sellers could. His performance is where I got most of my laughs. That, and the name of one of the SMERSH agents - Miss. Goodthighs - made me laugh out loud. It's a play on the coyly seductive type of names Bond girls are usually blessed with. Speaking of Bond girls, Ursula Andress plays Honey Ryder in the first James Bond movie "Dr. No" from 1962.  

"Casino Royale" gets the Bond atmosphere right, with characters pulled out of Fleming's novel along with the gadgetry and such. But if judging by what I watched, everyone involved must have had something different in mind as to what this movie ought to be. There are too many hands in mix. That's no surprise as there are five directors for this one movie. As a result, I had trouble following the story. Aspects in the plot are left unexplained. It's anyone's guess why anything is happening. There's too much happening resulting in a comedic Bond film packed way too heavily with stuff. 

Co-director Ken Hughes later directed the children's film "Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang" based on another Ian Fleming story. Co-director and star of this movie, John Huston, previously directed some truly memorable films such as "The Maltese Falcon," "Red Badge of Courage," "The African Queen," and "Moby Dick."

Producer Charles K. Feldman worked with Peter Sellers and Ursula Andress a few years prior in the 1965 movie "What's New Pussycat?" written by Woody Allen, which Feldman also produced. 

"Casino Royale" is very much a product of the 1960s, with one scene paying homage to early German expression films of the silent era. It's garnished with music from Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, along with the song "Look of Love" by Dusty Springfield.  

Still, the entire film is a disjointed array of humor, story, and dialogue all boiling down to an ending that's just too juvenile and cheap, even for a James Bond satire.