Napoleon Dynamite

Play trailer

Napoleon Dynamite

PG

Released Jan 17, 2004

1h 36m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A charming, quirky, and often funny comedy.

Read Critics Reviews

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

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

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2010

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

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

Jul 24, 2007

Full Review

Dave Calhoun

Time Out

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

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

Brad S. R

I never understood the hype around this film when it first came out and, for the life of me, I still can't. The characters are thoroughly shallow and unpleasant and their repeated failures seem to serve no other purpose than a chance for the average moviegoer to laugh at their misfortunes. For a supposed satire of small-town suburbia and/or '80s high school culture, there's an excruciating lack of clever humor throughout large sections of the film, leaving us to gape, much like it's titular character, with numbed disinterest as the minutes unwind before us. It's truly a triumph of style without any substance.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

Full Review

Noah G

It makes no sense uncle Rico is funny character so is Rex! But this movie is decent I feel bad that napoleon got dumped by a Idiot and we didn’t even see the Pedro won worlds worst movie but somewhat good never watching this again Gosh!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

Full Review

Alexander S

Napoleon Dynamite became a surprising coming-of-age hit that left an indelible mark on mid-2000s pop culture. Its memorable quotes and characters have become iconic. The film encourages us to embrace our uniqueness while navigating the challenges of high school, including bullying, popularity, and finding our true selves. Grading: B+

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

Full Review

Matthew C

People kept talking about how funny it was. I kept waiting for it to get funny and then it ended. Good scenery and soundtrack. That's about it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

Full Review

Fer S

I found a few jokes chuckleworthy. Overall it is very slow, not funny. I wish the whole movie had the same pacing as the last 20-30 minutes

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/29/25

Full Review

Brelynn L

I did not realy watch it but the parts that i did watch it was boring

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Jared Hess

Director

Jon Heder

Napoleon Dynamite

Jon Gries

Uncle Rico

Aaron Ruell

Kip Dynamite

Efren Ramirez

Pedro

Tina Majorino

Deb

Cheaper by the Dozen 2

8%

57%

Cheaper by the Dozen 2

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Cheaper by the Dozen 2

New York Minute

11%

47%

New York Minute

Watchlist

Nacho Libre

39%

55%

Nacho Libre

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nacho Libre

Son of the Mask

6%

16%

Son of the Mask

Watchlist

Kicking & Screaming

41%

43%

Kicking & Screaming

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Kicking & Screaming

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Napoleon Dynamite Gets Animated in New TV Show

"Revenge of the Nerds" Remake Aims to Start Production

Box Office Guru Preview: Ashton vs. Ashton – This Time It’s Personal

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now