Jared and Jerushka Hess have created a film that is in the traditional of all films about outsiders. This film joins Edward Scissorhands, Freaks and Geeks, Eraserhead, Raising Arizona and a host of others in its ability to draw the audience into a world that is unique and complete. The characters' personalities are painted in broad brush strokes but I bought into them hook, line and sinker because the actors went all at their tasks with 100% commitment. Tina Majorino was a pleasure to watch in her role as Deb. It's wonderful to see that this actress has grown out of her earlier film roles playing opposite performing seals. Jon Heder in the lead role is hysterical as the mouth-breathing, bad dressing, moist-at-the corners-of-the-mouth loser. You got to love this guy because he tries so hard to rise above his hostile surrounding. Jon Gries is downright diabolical as the smarmy uncle. Haylie Duff did surprisingly well as the queen bitch, Summer. The vastness of the landscape, the dull primary colors of the hallway lockers, the slick wood paneling of the basement were depicted with such detail that I could feel the falseness and desperation of the 70's. The actress named Shondrella was a pleasant surprise as well as the guy plays Pedro in that they added racial diversity to an otherwise white world. Good job done by all involved.
Review of Napoleon Dynamite
