Well if Napoleon Dynamite wasn’t a hard film to pigeon-hole, I don’t know what is. I generally dread using the term ‘quirky’, but there are times and certain movies that cry out for it. Judging from the myriad of trailers I saw prior to its release, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It just seemed… odd, and I was hard-pressed to figure out what the plot was. As it turned out, after watching the original DVD release, Napoleon Dynamite was not only much funnier than I expected but… I was still hard-pressed to figure out what the plot was. Napoleon Dynamite, which I missed in theatres, was one of those Independent Films that turned into a ‘sleeper’ hit. Made originally by director Jared Hess for just a few hundred thousand dollars, it went on to deliver box office gold. The audience built slowly, more out of curiosity I imagine, but once people saw it they either loved it or hated it. In my case, I loved it. There is little to the aforementioned plot, as the movie offers more of a ‘slice of life’ type of story.

A surreal ‘slice of life, to be sure, but one that those of us with a little bit of imagination can embrace.

Jon Heder stars as the title character, one of the geekiest characters ever, almost to the point of unreal (though I do have a friend I haven’t seen in 20 years who he kind of reminds me of). He is as honest as he is seemingly clueless, and lives on a farm with his uncle (Jon Gries) and his older brother (Aaron Ruell). He only has one friend (Efren Ramirez), and spends a good portion of his time unsuccessfully dodging bullies. Very little actually happens in the movie, with only some key moments standing out as a possible plot, but watching the bits and pieces of life through Napoleon’s eyes make for an unusually satisfying experience. The closest thing to a plot involves Napoleon's earnest determination to help his friend, Pedro, become class president.

The original DVD release added to the ‘Napoleon’ experience by offering up a rather quiet commentary by Hess and Heder, who along with producer Jeremy Coon, discussed the film at length. Much like the movie, there was not a lot going on in the commentary, but whenever the three chimed in, the information definitely answered many of questions that you may (or may not have) had. There were also some deleted scenes with commentary, MTV promos, a short featurette focusing on shooting one of the scenes, and a still gallery. Interestingly enough, Hess included his short film “Peluca.” Shot in Black and White and running a little under 9 minutes, it served as the inspiration for Napoleon Dynamite, even so far as to feature Heder as the same character. The short film also had its own commentary track by Hess, Heder and Coon.

Now, almost a year and a half later, Fox is offering up an even fuller, Special Edition version of Napoleon Dynamite. Adding a second disc allows for an additional commentary by actors Ruell, Gries, Ramirez and Tina Majorino (whose role served as a sort of love interest for Napoleon). This commentary is actually a little bit more fun than the first and it was especially fun to hear from Gries. He's one of those favorite actors of mine who has turned up in numerous TV shows and movies, most notably The Pretender and Fright Night II (as a werewolf).

There are also two lengthy documentaries, each coming in a little over 30 minutes. The first is a 'making of style' featurette, while the second is more a look at Jarod Hess' career and what he went thru to bring the movie to the masses. They also added some audition footage for Ramirez, Majorino and Haylie Duff. These are preceded by an interview with the casting director (and executive producer) Jory Weitz. I always love audition footage because you often get to see the major differences between an actor's real personality and that of their character side by side.

Finally, there are clips of several appearances that Jon Heder made (in some cases as Napoleon), including some from MTV's TRL, Heder's opening 'monologue' from Saturday Night Live, the 2004 and 2005 Teen Choice Awards, and a handful of others. Here you'll also find a rather funny 'coded message' sent from the podium of the 2005 National Spelling Bee by contestant Dominic Ranz Ebarle Errazo (which is actually a quick Napoleon impression). The 2-disc set also offers up the film in both Widescreen and Full-Screen (though why anyone would want to see any movie in Full Screen is beyond me.

Napoleon Dynamite is one of those films that I have to be very careful who I recommend it to. As silly as the movie appears on the surface, the underlying humor may only be caught by a few. It’s not for fans of big action movies, or those who enjoy brainless teen sex comedies. As a matter of fact, those who might expect Napoleon Dynamite to be the latter, will be surprised boy how relatively clean it is. I have to applaud Hess for creating a ‘thinking man’s’ teen comedy.

Directed by: Jared Hess
Starring: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino
Extras: Commentary by director/co-writer Jared Hess, producer Jeremy Coon, and actor Jon Heder, Commentary by actors Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries and Tina Majorino, 'World Premiere Jared Hess', 'On Location: Napoleon Dynamite', Deleted / Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary, All-New Outtakes and Additional Extended / Alternate Scenes, Audition Clips, Napoleon & Pedro Sightings, "Peluca": original short film with optional commentary, The Wedding of the Century: making-of featurette, MTV On-Air Promo Spots, Stills gallery
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) and Full Screen (1.33:1), English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video
Release Date: 5/16/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG (For Thematic Elements and Language)
Website

We'll give Napoleon Dynamite: Like, The Best Special Edition Ever a B.