TMR 061 – Napoleon Dynamite

This week on Total Movie Recall, we try to decide whether this is a charming, unique film about staying true to yourself, or a nightmarish descent into the insanity that comes with living in a barren, desolate landscape like rural Idaho, where the Uncle Ricos of the world keep subterranean dungeons for unsuspecting Debs. This might say more about where our heads are at right now than about this beloved comedy.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

d. Jared Hess

w. Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess

Starring:
Jon Heder
Efren Ramirez
Jon Gries
Aaron Ruell
Diedrich Bader
Tina Majorino
Sandy Martin

In small-town Preston, Idaho, awkward teen Napoleon Dynamite has trouble fitting in. After his grandmother is injured in an accident, his life is made even worse when his strangely nostalgic uncle, Rico, shows up to keep an eye on him. With no safe haven at home or at school, Napoleon befriends the new kid, Pedro, a morose Hispanic boy who speaks little English. Together the two launch a campaign to run for class president.

Things discussed in the show:

Russian movie posters

Chinatown (Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston)

Dumbo (Disney, Samuel Armstrong, Sterling Holloway, Edward Brophy, Herman Bing)

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