Napoleon Dynamite (Movie)

* Bibliographic information
Hess, J. (Director). (2004). Napoleon Dynamite [Motion Picture]. United States, 20th Century Fox. Starring Jon Heder.

- Best Movie, MTV Awards, 2005
- Choice Comedy Movie, Teen Choice Awards, 2005


* Plot Summary
Set in the Midwest, during the 1980s, this movie follows a high school outcast named Napoleon Dynamite. From the start it is obvious Napoleon is not like other teens, he is what society calls a “nerd”. His circle of friends and family are interesting to say the least. He has an uncle Rico who still lives in his high school glory days and picks on Napoleon whenever he can. There is also his loud mom, his quiet brother Kip who meets a new girlfriend online, a pet llama named Tina, his unique mustached friend Pedro, and his new shy friend, Deb. Pedro and Napoleon decide to start a campaign so Pedro can be the new class president. Most of the classmates laugh and throw the “vote for Pedro” buttons on the ground. Napoleon knows in order for Pedro to win he will have to win everybody over with his sweet dance moves.


* Critical Evaluation
This movie has become a cult classic because of the hilarious dialogue, strange outfits, and odd main character. It is five years later and people still wear “Vote for Pedro” shirts and say “Hey Napoleon, give me some of your tots!” Anyone who has ever felt like an outcast will cheer for Napoleon as he dances into popularity. The movie is very original and people either love it or hate it but everyone has heard of it. There are so many fun details throughout the movie, some take a few viewings to notice. So many catch phrases have been shouted from this movie because the writing is so clever and not like anything people have seen before. A great movie that will continue to be funny for years to come.


* Reader’s Annotation
Napoleon and his friends do not fit in at school. To dethrone the current class president, Summer, Napoleon gets the idea for Pedro, his best friend to run against her regardless of what the rest of the school thinks.



* Information about the director
Jared Hess wrote and directed Napoleon Dynamite. His other films have not been as successful, but Nacho Libre is well known. He was born in Idaho but currently lives in Utah with his wife and two kids. He went to Brigham Young University in Utah.


* Genre
Comedy


* Curriculum Ties, if any
N/A


* Movie Discussion Ideas
1) Did you enjoy the comedy in the movie? Did you find it sad in anyway?
2) Talk about the relationship between Deb and Napoleon.
3) Napoleon saves his friend Pedro and his campaign by taking the stage. Do you think you could do something like that for your best friend?


* Interest Age
13 and Up / PG-13



* Challenge Issues and Defense
Challenge Issues: Bullying.

Defense Ideas:
1) Ask the patron about the movie and issue in question and find out how much they know about the movie.
2) Help the patron become more familiar with the film and its content.
3) Show the patron positive reviews for this movie, such as ones found on Yahoo!Movies, http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808529347/critic.
4) If available, introduce the patron to people who have seen it in the library or tell the patron what you thought of the movie if you have seen it.
5) Show the patron the collection development policy for that particular library. For example, the one for the San Diego County library, http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf
6) If they still want to file a grievance about the movie begin the necessary paperwork by giving them the forms they need to fill out. In the San Diego County system, the grievance will then go to The Challenged Materials Team. If the committee cannot resolve the issue, it then goes to the County Library Director for a final decision. http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf


* Why did you include this movie in your titles you selected?
This movie was an instant classic when it came out in 2004 and it is still referred to in conversations today. I included this movie because it is a fun movie where the underdog is victorious in the end and shows that just because he is different and a bit strange, does not mean he is not a good person. He wins the crowd over by dancing; a great end to a hilarious movie that will keep people laughing for years.