Movies and TV
Napoleon Dynamite
Jared Hess, Director
Bibliographic Information
Director Jared Hess
Screenplay by Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess
Based on Peluca by Jared Hess
Produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, Sean Covel
Starring Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino, Diedrich Bader
Cinematography Munn Powell
Edited by Jeremy Coon
Music by John Swihart
Production Company Napoleon Pictures
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures (U.S., Canada, & Italy), Paramount Pictures MTV Films (international)
Release Dates January 17, 2004 (Sundance), June 11, 2004 (U.S.)
Running Time 95 minutes
Country U.S.
Language English
Budget $400,000
Box Office $46.1 million
Source: Napoleon Dynamite Wikipedia
Plot Summary
Sixteen-year old Napoleon Dynamite is a very socially awkward teenager who lives with his grandma and brother, Kip, in rural Idaho and also takes care of Tina, his pet llama. Being primarily a loner, Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical creatures, moaning/complaining about life, and aggressively dodging bullies. After his grandma is injured in an accident, Napoleon's uncle, Rico, comes to take care of the brothers; Uncle Rico is constantly reminiscing about his past football career and what he could have been had events changed. When a new student, Pedro, comes to school, Napoleon takes him under his wing and they become good friends along with socially awkward Deb who makes lanyards to sell door to door. With the big school dance just around the corner, Pedro asks Deb to go while Napoleon goes with popular girl, Trisha, only because her mom feels bad for him. Later, Pedro decides he wants to run for student council and gets help from Napoleon and his moon boots. Running against Don, the most popular guy in school, Pedro pulls out all the stops to try to win.
Critical Evaluation
As a junior in high school when this movie came out, I literally watched it about five times in the movie theater and personally felt such a connection to it as a socially awkward individual (not as awkward as Napoleon). Jon Heder played Napoleon Dynamite perfectly, finding the right mix between being socially awkward and not caring what other people think of him. The film has so many memorable characters, some who only show up shortly like Rex Kwan Do and Lafawnduh. As a teenager, my favorite character was Uncle Rico played by Jon Gries, but rewatching it as an adult, I found him to be a very creepy, money hungry person, but somehow still likeable, especially by the end of the film.
The color scheme in the movie is very muted and washed out, matching the rural Idaho setting. The beginning of the movie opens with The White Stripes' song "We're Going to Be Friends", harkening the audience to sit back and get acquainted with the characters. The music throughout the rest of the movie is a mix between 1980's music and instrumental synth. As an audience member, the movie is ambiguous in terms of when year wise it is supposed to take place; the dance plays songs like "Forever Young" (1984) with students wearing puffy sleeve 80's dresses and guys decked out in leisure suits along with Deb sporting a side ponytail throughout the movie. The film has won awards including: Best Feature Film at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (2004), three MTV movie awards for Breakthrough Male Performance, Best Musical Performance, and Best Movie (2005), Golden Trailer Award for Best Comedy (2005), etc.
Viewer's Annotation
Socially awkward highschooler Napoleon Dynamite helps his new friend, Pedro, with attempting to win the role of student council president while navigating his chaotically funny family life.
Jared Hess was born in Glendale, Arizona on July 18, 1979. Jared attended Manhattan High School in Kansas his freshman and sophomore years before finishing out school at Preston High School in Idaho. where he graduated in 1997. Many scenes from Napoleon Dynamite were shot and filmed at Preston High School. In his teenage years, Jared worked in film production with cinematographer T.C. Christensen. He is married to wife and fellow filmmaker Jerusha Hess and have four children together. They are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Adapted from the Jared Hess Wikipedia page).
Genres
Comedy, coming-of-age, indie film
Filmtalking Ideas
Play the film trailer and summarize the plot. Pass out tater tots to enjoy while listening.
Challenge Issues
Rebellion, bullying, sexual harassment
Why I Chose This Movie
This movie speaks to all teens, but especially socially awkward people and shows them that it's okay to be different/unique.
Freaks and Geeks
Paul Feig, Creator
Bibliographic Information
Genre Period teen drama, comedy drama
Created by Paul Feig
Starring Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogan, Jason Segal, Martin Starr, Becky Ann Baker, Joe Flaherty, Busy Phillips
Opening Theme "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
Composer Michael Andrews
Country of Origin U.S.
Original Language English
# of Seasons 1
# of Episodes 18
Executive Producer Judd Apatow
Cinematography Russ T. Alsobrook, Bill Pope (pilot)
Editors Tara Timpone, Sean K. Lambert, Brent White
Camera Setup Single-camera
Running Time 44 minutes
Production Companies Apatow Productions, DreamWorks Television
Network NBC
Release September 25, 1999-October 17, 2000
Plot Summary
During the early 1980's, teen Lindsay Weir and her younger brother, Sam go to William McKinley High School. For incoming freshman Sam, he and his friends are known as "geeks" (love playing Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy, anything nerdy you can think of, that's who they are). Lindsay wants to change how people perceive her (she is a "mathlete" who's best friend at the time is very type A and super religious) so she decides to befriend the slacker group who are labeled as "freaks." In order to fit in more with the "freaks," Lindsay tries to shed her academic, intellectual self and become more rebellious (sneak out, smoke, party, etc.). While Lindsay is figuring herself out, Sam and his friends try to navigate high school without getting beat up, harassed, etc. for being "geeks."
Critical Evaluation
As someone who had always heard of the show but never got the chance to watch it when I was a teen, I thoroughly enjoyed this dramedy by creator Kevin Feig. There are many reasons why this show has gotten a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and is still as relevant today as it was when it first aired on NBC. Per the Rotten Tomatoes website, "Freaks and Geeks lampoons real-life adolescence while affectionately embracing every growing pain along the way with refreshing honesty" (Rotten Tomatoes, n.d.). The show's writing is fantastic with showing the humor in dealing with uncomfortable situations and creates realistic dialogue between characters. Each of the young actors in the show are fantastic, especially Linda Cardellini as Lindsay and Martin Starr as Bill.
Linda is able to portray Lindsay with a raw and realistic range of emotions dealing with complex issues like fitting in, friendships, dating, and understanding who you are without stereotypes. Personally, my favorite character is the "geek" Bill Haverchuck played by Martin Starr; his look (giant glasses, skinny build, "nerdy" clothes and way of speaking) and genius acting really makes the character come to life. Every episode I watched had laugh out loud moments. Since the setting takes place in 1980-1981, the musical score features artists from the time: Billy Joel, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, etc. The show does an amazing job of depicting characters that could be stereotyped into categories, like "freaks" and "geeks," and really topsy- turvying that concept.
Viewer's Annotation
In the early 1980's, William McKinley High School is home to many cliques, including the "freaks", aka slackers, and the "geeks." For siblings Lindsay and Sam Weir, they must each navigate high school and labels that have been placed upon them in order to turn those stereotypes on their heads and learn what it means to live authentically.
About the Creator
Paul Feig is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for directing movies like Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy, and the 2016 version of Ghostbusters. He often collaborates with comedic actress Melissa McCarthy. He is the creator of the critically acclaimed show Freaks and Geeks, receiving nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also directed several episodes of Arrested Development, Nurse Jackie, Mad Men, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Weeds. Acting credits include The Jackie Thomas Show, Heavyweights, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Feig's inspiration for Freaks and Geeks came from his own personal experiences at Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township, Michigan. The show was named in Time magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time. (Adapted from Paul Feig Wikipedia page).
Genres
Period teen drama, comedy drama
TV Series Talking Ideas
Play "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett, show the trailer, and discuss stereotypical labels and the significance of how that affects people.
Viewing Level
13+
Challenge Issues
Language, sexual references, sexual content, bullying, domestic problems, drugs and alcohol, animal death
Why I Chose This Series
Freaks and Geeks authentically shows teen life with realistic dialogue that doesn't pander and talk down to teens, but celebrates the awkward, exciting, and anxiety-inducing time the high school experience is.
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