Last Thursday I finally watched Napoleon Dynamite. Everyone told me not to over-analyze it, and to just accept it for its dorkdom. I can do the latter. But hello, what was one of my majors? I can't not do the former.First off, I loved the opening credits, with the different plates of food. Oh, the symbolism. But then the movie itself started. It is quite possibly the weirdest movie ever, and while I can't come up with one succinct interpretation (yay, polysemy), here are a few things that were over-the-top obvious:
- Race goes largely unmentioned, but affects most of the lives of the characters in Preston, ID: Pedro's presence, the "Indians #1" sign at the school, Kip's black girlfriend, the dojo, Napoleon's dance video.
- Images of sports are pervasive --but the usual glorified heroes are absent: football, karate, even tether ball.
- The Idaho scenery is gorgeous: mountains in the background most of the time.
- The timeline was wonky: the fashion, music, and techonological developments didn't match.
Other themes seem to be:
- Entrepreneurship
- "Difference," in various forms
- Community
Even with all that in mind, there's really nothing concrete to say about Napoleon Dynamite. The West is a wonderful melting pot? Beware of living up to perceptions of perfection and standards of attainment, because they don't exist? Latino friends and black culture bring happiness? Nostalgia for high school years overlooks the awkwardness of adolescence? Maybe it's all of these, maybe it's nothing.
I didn't love the film, but I found it fascinating.
In an odd homage, the Idaho state legislature passed a resolution hailing the film. To me, it was more hilarious than the movie. Which makes me fear for Spokane...
In other news, last Friday I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
I loved it. I thought it was incredibly brilliant and creative. And of course, it had the well-placed thought-provoking quote (full work available here).
But suffice it to say that I had to try and find simple, happy cartoons on TV after the movie was over.
4 comments:
I think I wanted there to be something more about race in Napoleon Dynamite. The sports images were interesting, though, portraying the utter sadness of that one guy's football dreams.
Your review taught me a word (polysemy) that my computer thinks is a misspelling, but it's not.
My sister's fiance, who is ironically both Latino and getting his Ph.d in American Studies, was similarly blank about the movie. Obviously, ND isn't overtly about race. But seriously, you can't ignore it in the film!
And speaking of American Studies, junior and senior years were all about using the word "polysemy" in term papers...
Is the time mismatch really so out of place? Rural areas anywhere feel like this to me, a wierd combination of moderninity (new stores, cars, etc) with the rotting, abandoned past (wood paneling in the houses).
Also, you have american studies skills. And nunchuck skills.
I guess I just assumed it took place in the 80s. It was the internet and Backstreet Boys that threw me off.
Arrrgghh. Come to think of it, it never explicitly stated the time frame. Shouldn't have assumed that!
Post a Comment