Napoleon Dynamite

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Napoleon Dynamite

PG

Released Jan 17, 2004

1h 36m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

173 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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.

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Critics Consensus

A charming, quirky, and often funny comedy.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

One-of-a-kind high school comedy for the family.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2010

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

For most of its length this delivers a steady stream of uncomfortable gut laughs.

Jul 24, 2007

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Dave Calhoun

Time Out

It's a cast of brilliant caricatures, and as such recalls the films of Wes Anderson.

Jun 24, 2006

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Those looking for credible developments should steer clear: the movie is all about the moment, the juxtaposition of the sublime and the absurd.

Rated: B

Sep 19, 2022

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The soundtrack is casual, catchy, and sensationally fitting, complementing the alternating weirdness and sweetness of the incredibly singular personas onscreen.

Rated: 10/10

Nov 7, 2020

Full Review

Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

Geek extraordinaire Napoleon thinks he's dynamite, wearing his brown velour suit and other 1970s fashion faux pas like they were bestowed on him to be cooler-than-you in. You will be inspired to likewise walk to the beat of your own drum.

Rated: 4/5

May 17, 2020

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Jay O

Just bloody brilliant, so funny it hurts, vote for Pedro!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

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Brandon T

I loved this movie as a kid. My friends and I still quote it to this day. Learning the back story as an adult and hearing that it was very low-budget made it that much better. Glad it found the success it deserves. Some of the humor might be a bit outdated now but it never fails to make me laugh.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

Full Review

AMJH 4

I absolutely, positively LOVE and ADORE this film. It's incredibly hilarious. A classic, CLASSIC comedy for me has to be memorable and quotable, and boy, does this film have it in spades. It's actually really sweet at times, too (no pun intended), random as can be (also a risky thing for a comedy to be, but when done right [this, Hot Rod, The Ren & Stimpy Show], its absolutely hilarious) and like I said, extremely quotable. It also has a wonderful, awkward charm. One of the best comedies EVER, imho.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Logan C.

It’s so stupid it’s funny.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

Full Review

Gareth v

A classic. Hliarious scenes, quotable lines and cast of absurd yet loveable characters makes this one of the finest comedies of the 2000's.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/10/25

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Maxwell D

This is not the most sensible thing to watch but at least it's funny and accurate.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/19/25

Full Review

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Jared Hess

Director

Jon Heder

Napoleon Dynamite

Jon Gries

Uncle Rico

Aaron Ruell

Kip Dynamite

Efren Ramirez

Pedro

Tina Majorino

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Napoleon Dynamite: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Jared Hess
Producer: Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, Sean Covel
Screenwriter: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess
Distributor: Fox
Production Co: Access Films, Napoleon Pictures Limited
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Language)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.5M
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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