I have a theory at how the creators of this movie decided to make this film, and it's really just that--a complete theory.
I think that someone saw Jon Heder and said to themselves, "That guy is instant comedy. He doesn't even have to do anything." And for certain scenes in this movie, they'd be right. A sequence where he breaks out his funky dance moves is hilarious, as is his very intonation, at times, and his physical acting. And there are bits of funny dialogue that he is given at different points in the movie as well.
This film also has some quite interesting, random and quirky characters besides Napoleon, and each of them has their moment to shine.
But really, that's what this movie is: moments. There is very little real plot or story arc. We don't really see the characters grow or change. Stuff happens to them and they react to it, that's basically it. There's no real overarching theme, either. I've seen it suggested that "awkwardness" is the thematic point of the movie, but that's ridiculous, and NOT a theme. It's akin to saying, "My theme is love." It means nothing.
So what are we left with? Moments. Some great comedic scenes here and there that don't really add up to anything more. It's rare that I've seen a movie try to be so self-consciously uncool, with the underlying message seeming to be, "See how not cool I am? Pretty cool, huh?" What's more disturbing is that people have bought into it so easily, so much so that many of the people in the crowd where I watched it seemed to be in love with the movie before it began. The simple fact of a movie being different does NOT make it good.
For me, this movie doesn't rate much better than a renter, and I think you'd be better served checking out Welcome to the Dollhouse, Rushmore, or even 80's John Hughes movies.
I think that someone saw Jon Heder and said to themselves, "That guy is instant comedy. He doesn't even have to do anything." And for certain scenes in this movie, they'd be right. A sequence where he breaks out his funky dance moves is hilarious, as is his very intonation, at times, and his physical acting. And there are bits of funny dialogue that he is given at different points in the movie as well.
This film also has some quite interesting, random and quirky characters besides Napoleon, and each of them has their moment to shine.
But really, that's what this movie is: moments. There is very little real plot or story arc. We don't really see the characters grow or change. Stuff happens to them and they react to it, that's basically it. There's no real overarching theme, either. I've seen it suggested that "awkwardness" is the thematic point of the movie, but that's ridiculous, and NOT a theme. It's akin to saying, "My theme is love." It means nothing.
So what are we left with? Moments. Some great comedic scenes here and there that don't really add up to anything more. It's rare that I've seen a movie try to be so self-consciously uncool, with the underlying message seeming to be, "See how not cool I am? Pretty cool, huh?" What's more disturbing is that people have bought into it so easily, so much so that many of the people in the crowd where I watched it seemed to be in love with the movie before it began. The simple fact of a movie being different does NOT make it good.
For me, this movie doesn't rate much better than a renter, and I think you'd be better served checking out Welcome to the Dollhouse, Rushmore, or even 80's John Hughes movies.
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