Wonkette Movie Night: Napoleon Dynamite
'Vote for me, and all your wildest dreams will come true.'
Napoleon Dynamite is at the awkward age in a teenager’s life when they’re trying to find themselves, feeling misunderstood, and thinking everything sucks. That just seems to be all the teenage years. And come to think of it, the adult ones too.
Napoleon Dynamite the movie was based a short film titled Peluca, created by director Jared Hess and Jon Heder in 2002, while they were film students at Brigham Young University. Peluca is Spanish for ‘wig’ and references what Napoleon uses to help his friend Pedro when a bad haircut may stall his quest to be Class President.
But the name Napoleon Dynamite also has an interesting background. It is one of 3 pseudonyms used by Elvis Costello for his writing credit on the 1986 album “Blood & Chocolate”, and the name of the album art created by Costello himself. Jared Hess claims he had no knowledge of the album, and says that the name Napoleon Dynamite came from the name of a man he met on the street. Elvis Costello sees it differently, saying, “The guy just denies completely that I made the name up … but I invented it. Maybe somebody told him the name and he truly feels that he came to it by chance. But it's two words that you're never going to hear together.”
True enough, but since the movie was released in 2004, they sure seem meant to go together now. Napoleon Dynamite the movie has proven itself to be a much loved cult classic. There are things that people know even if they haven’t seen it, like the iconic “Vote For Pedro” t-shirt and that crazy dance. A beautiful expression of friendship and no fear. It was improvised by Jon Heder, with some dance moves borrowed from Michael Jackson, Saturday Night Fever and Soul Train.
The fans of this cult classic celebrated the movie’s 20th anniversary last year by going to Preston, Idaho for Napoleon Fest. There was a tater tot eating contest and a dance competition of course!
Jon Heder was 27 when he portrayed 16 year old Napoleon. He has continued acting regularly in movies, but no later role has brought the fame and cult status that a geeky teenager gave him in 2004. Last year Entertainment Weekly did a where are they now? story and found ten cast members. All have continued working in the entertainment industry, most being very familiar faces on many TV series.
Napoleon Dynamite is available with subscription on Max, Disney+ and Hulu. $3.99 in the usual places. For free on the Internet Archive.
Napoleon Dynamite stars Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, John Gries, Aaron Ruell, Tina Majorino, Haylie Duff, Shondrella Avery, Sandy Martin, and Diedrich Bader. Directed by Jared Hess.
To make requests and see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.
Our animated short tonight is Birdbox Classics from Birdbox Studios.
Our next Movie Night selection is Little Shop Of Horrors, it’s available for free with ads on Philo. $3.99 in the usual places.
Wonkmeet Alert! I will be hosting at the Boss Dog Brewing Company in Cleveland Heights at 1pm on Aug. 16. We will be joined by Yr Editrix, Shy and the kids.
And if you’re in the Seattle area tomorrow, Sunday, July 20, remember there’s a Wonkmeet at Seattle’s Lincoln Park, 3-6 p.m, near the North Play Area! Join Yr Editrix, Shy, the kids, and Dok, who’s driving his EV from Boise and can’t wait to bore you with details about charging stops. It’s a potluck, so bring things and say hi!
𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀:
Idaho unanimously passed a bill praising Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess for making the film, citing amongst their reasons that the Preston High School administration and staff, particularly the cafeteria staff, have enjoyed notoriety and worldwide attention. Tater tots figuring prominently in the film had promoted Idaho's most famous export.
And that's my snack for tonight! Tater tots drizzled with bacon grease, sprinkled with Penzey's granulated onion and s/p. Once well baked (like myself) I toss some shredded cheddar on top, melt in the oven then top with some sour cream and chopped scallions.
I'm excited to give my new scooter its first run today, going a little farther than across my living room floor. It has some pep, going to be a fun ride. The only hassle is getting it from my 2nd floor apartment to the street. The elevator is currently broken and the scooter weighs about 45 lbs. I managed to drag the box up to my apartment, but the assembled scooter will be easier to lift.