'Dynamite' really had me fooled

Against my better instincts,I saw "Napoleon Dynamite" the other night.

My fears came from two areas: One, I pretty much detest all the movies that attempt to make fun of the local culture. "The RM," "The Home Teachers," "Singles Ward," et al, are to comedy what plastic flamingos are to landscaping. The fact that "Napoleon Dynamite" is a product of BYU film school students didn't heighten my enthusiasm. BYU excels in a lot of areas, but sense of humor isn't one of them.

Two, movies that are sleepers are usually best seen when they're still sleepers. Nothing like high expectations to ruin an otherwise OK film.

Since opening at selected theaters nationwide in mid-June, "Napoleon Dynamite," a coming-of-age movie about a high school nerd that takes place a couple of miles across the Utah border in Preston, Idaho, has long since shot past sleeper status. Acclaim for the film, which was bought for $3 million by Fox Searchlight Pictures after its successful Sundance Film Festival 2004 run, has come from all corners.

Movie reviewers have been gushing all summer. "This dork has his day" — Wall Street Journal. "Achingly funny" — Newsweek. "You'll laugh 'til it hurts. Sweet." — Rolling Stone. "Nerdiness will never seem the same" — Christian Science Monitor. "A cult classic in the making" — Portland Oregonian. "You ain't seen nothing 'til you've seen Napoleon attack that tetherball" — Washington Post. "It is perhaps the most beautifully crafted, lovingly rendered portrait of extreme geekitude ever to grace the screen" — Dallas Observer.

With all that going for it, I figured I'd hate it.

---

But I didn't hate it. Gosh!

From the first scene when Napoleon gets on the school bus with the elementary school kids, "Napoleon Dynamite" submerges itself in the beautiful world of understatement and never exits. For 86 minutes it does what art is supposed to do: It hits all your senses without ever hitting you over the head. Like all truly funny jokes, no one explains any of the punch lines.

In its subtle way, "Napoleon Dynamite" is more reality show than the current lineup of reality shows. There is a little nerd in all of us. (Hey! Even Michael Jordan sticks out his tongue.) And Napoleon, his brother Kip, his Uncle Rico, his friend Pedro and his quasi girlfriend Deb all conspire to get that message across without getting it across.