Quirkiness and goofiness can carry "Napoleon Dynamite" only so far. Once you get past that, there's not a whole lot more to the film.
This is basically a collection of hit-and-miss skits that are stumbling around in search of a story line. Not that you really expect more than that from a comedy, but this one needs something.
Still, there's no denying "Dynamite's" unique voice. To simply write it off as simply a Generation-Y "Revenge of the Nerds" would be unfair. And when it's funny, it's genuinely funny.
Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) is a gawky high schooler in Preston, Idaho. He's not popular at school, and his home life isn't much better, as he's constantly feuding with his older and possibly even more pathetic brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell).
Things gets worse when their grandmother and caretaker (Sandy Martin) is injured in an ATV accident. While she's hospitalized, their creepy Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) comes to stay with them. He also involves Kip in one get-rich scheme after another (including trying to sell an herbal breast-enhancement formula).
In the meantime, Napoleon befriends a pair of fellow outcast students: Pedro (Efren Ramirez) and would-be fashion photographer Deb (Tina Majorino).
As they worry about the big dance, Napoleon encourages Pedro to run for school president, which pits him against the most popular student in school (Haylie Duff, older sister of Hilary).
All of which probably makes the plot sound more coherent than it is.
This is an amiable but rambling film, which owes quite a bit — both in style and deadpan humor — to Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers.
"Dynamite" isn't as strong or as emotionally resonant as those films, and there a lot of slow stretches and jokes that fall flat. Co-screenwriter/director Jared Hess probably needed an editor to help him weed out some of the ideas and to help shape the story a little bit better.
To his credit, he does make good use of his cast, which is made up mostly of newcomers and no-names. And though Heder's lead performance is a little self-aware at times, he does get the biggest laughs (especially his dance routine).
The more veteran performers are the ones who don't fare as well here. The usually amusing Diedrich Bader is painfully unfunny in a glorified cameo as a martial-arts instructor.
"Napoleon Dynamite" is rated PG for violence (rough-housing, bullying and some slapstick), some crude humor (including a flatulence gag) and scattered use of some creative profanity. Running time: 86 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com