It's 'Dynamite!'

This movie is dynamite! The laughs come early and don't stop until the end. What "Napoleon Dynamite" lacks is a major conflict. Most will be able to relate some of the things Napoleon does to everyday life. On the other hand, Napoleon does so many odd things you can't help but crack up.\nNapoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) lives in Idaho with his grandmother and brother. They live outside of town and raise llamas. The car-impaired Napoleon has to ride the bus with younger kids. When Grandma goes away on an off-road four-wheeler trip, Napoleon and his 31-year-old brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), are left home with Uncle Rico (Jon Gries), who shows up to make their lives a little harder. Rico is obsessed with his days as a high school football stud, though, he is a Tupperware salesman today.\nWhile at school, Napoleon draws ligers (a lion/tiger mix with mystical powers) in his Trapper Keeper and generally just continues being his nerdy self. He meets Pedro (Efren Ramirez), a native Mexican, and the two become best friends. Also, the guys meet a girl, Deb (Tina Majorino), who's also among the unpopular crowd. Pedro shows Napoleon how to pick up chicks. In return, Napoleon helps Pedro campaign for the class presidency.\nNapoleon's character is extremely well developed. His mannerisms are peculiar, but familiar nonetheless. Expressions like: "Its pretty much the best," "Gosh!" or "Sweet!" make for an interesting nerd. For Heder's first feature-length performance, he impresses.\nThere is no major conflict in the movie: no big obstacle to overcome or bully to outwit. The biggest problems Napoleon and Pedro face are trying to pick up girls and the race for class president. The closest thing to a bully comes in the form of the popular Summer (Haylie Duff, Hilary's sister). Kip's big problem, though, is a recent separation from his Internet girlfriend, which is pretty funny in its own right.\nIf the flick doesn't make your sides split from laughter, I am fairly confident it would drag to no end. Napoleon's character works well, because he doesn't let the fact that he is a nerd get him down. He doesn't feel oppressed, he just continues on with life. Yet, this is where an arc providing the needed conflict/resolution could have been inserted. A developed enemy who makes fun of Napoleon would have made sense. The movie leaves us to think that Napoleon is content, and we shouldn't see him as a protagonist. \n"Napoleon Dynamite" is reminiscent of "Revenge of the Nerds." Obviously, Napoleon is in high school instead of college but it lacks the major antagonist/conflict that "Revenge of the Nerds" had. However, in Jared Hess' astonishing directing/co-writing debut, he managed to make me laugh as much, if not more than, "'Nerds" did. If only the plot would have been tweaked, it would have been "pretty much the best" comedy of this year.