"Most of us didn't think anything of it at first, just another no-name movie for Jared Hess," said Stephen Baldwin, store manager for the Deseret Industries thrift shop, where much of the movie's wardrobes were bought and some scenes were filmed. "But then it came out. And now college students are coming into the store to take pictures or videos, looking to purchase memorabilia."

Still, ask any local kid, and chances are they'll tell you they can't wait to leave Preston, a town of just 4,791 people about 100 miles north of Salt Lake City, near the Utah-Idaho border.

"High schoolers will go away for a minute, but they always come back," said Pennie Christensen, executive director of Preston's Chamber of Commerce. "We're probably a bit behind the times as far as fashion, but there are beautiful homes, and it's a small, tight community. People are service-oriented, considerate."

Local real estate agents have reported an increase in calls from out-of-towners whose interest was piqued by scenery in the film, Christensen said. A few fans have stopped in town for a visit and decided to stay.

Even more are calling just to say hello.

"One lady called from Tennessee, saying, 'I want to thank Preston. You cleaned up the language in our town,' " Christensen said. "Before, the kids there were saying things like the F-word or G-D. Now they say 'flip' and 'sweet.' "

Christensen hopes the town can keep the attention coming. She's planning a Napoleon Dynamite Fest in June, complete with tetherball tournaments, a disco dance-off and a look-alike contest.

Visitors can easily spot landmarks from the movie. The Cuttin Curral and King's grocery store grace the main drag. Pop 'N Pins is just a few blocks away, and interested fans can still buy bowling pins used in the movie. Even Napoleon's favorite animal, the lion and tiger crossbreed known as a liger, has local roots: There was a liger farm not far from Preston until a few years ago, when several of the animals escaped and the farm was shut down.

Residents are tapping their inner loser to cash in on the city's celebrity. The Chamber of Commerce — whose Web-site hits spiked from a previous all-time high of 7,000 to 284,000 hits after the DVD release — sells tour maps pointing out filming locations, such as Napoleon's house, along with other souvenirs. A sign at the car dealership West Motors boasts that customers can buy a car from Pedro's dad.

Even the Happy Hands sign language club in the movie is based on the school's Good Hands club. Hess himself was a member while attending school at Preston High. Though the number of men on the team has tripled since the movie — to three — they continue to be targets for school bullies.

Before the flick 17-year-old Dakotah Gordon was the only male to brave the club.

"I was the Napoleon Dynamite of the club," Gordon said. "But look at the guy-to-girl ratio — a lot of guys want to be in the club; they're just scared to join."