All Critics (167)
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Top Critics (35)
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Fresh (124)
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DVD (38)
For most of its length this delivers a steady stream of uncomfortable gut laughs.
Napoleon Dynamite may be forcefully weird and intermittently humorous, and you might not know what the heck to make of it, but there's nothing shocking about its screenplay.
The funniest film of the summer.
An independent take on a Hollywood tradition, undermined by its cliches but saved by its performances.
May be the most condescending comedy ever to imagine itself being too cool for the room.
Has more belly laughs than 10 studio-produced, star-vehicle comedies.
For all its charm and its impeccable leads, Napoleon Dynamite is a modish exercise in anti-cool. Still, a strong debut for all its young talents.
One-of-a-kind high school comedy for the family.
Napoleon's climactic spaz-out dance is more than just a goofy gag. It's a payoff to a great buddy-system comedy and the idea that it's not high school's dreams and regrets that last, but the sometimes-bizarre friendships.
too odd to dismiss and often truly funny
Just incredibly mind-numbing and unfunny...
Napoleon Dynamite may not even be friggin' sweet, but it does have skills. [Blu-ray]
The characters are all weird and nothing much happens in Napoleon Dynamite, yet this droll and understated geek-comedy zings with truth.
Heder seems perversely bored, unable to hold his eyes open; was that a conscious acting choice, or was he simply reading his lines off the floor?
Writer-director Jared Hess tries for John Hughes by way of the Coen Brothers, but only comes up with one dull, unfunny non-sequitur after another.
If you have an indie film sense of humor -- and those of you who have it know what I mean -- you'll probably enjoy this flick.
It's a cast of brilliant caricatures, and as such recalls the films of Wes Anderson.
Seething with teen-angst irritability and an obstinate blind ignorance to just how much of an outcast he is, Napoleon Dynamite may be the biggest dork in the history of high school movies.
As long as you don't mind making fun of the afflicted, there are some killer comic moments.
Delights in deadpan %u2013 celebrates nerd. And is a testament that beauty can be found everywhere. A charming, albeit quite odd cinematic piece. Harold and Maude -lite.
I began to appreciate the neat reversals of expectations, slow pace and serene non sequiturs of the plot, the film's smart approach towards teen alienation, ludicrous ambition and impossible dreams.
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