'Napoleon Dynamite' still defines Jon Heder's career

Several comic actors play wacky geeks in "When in Rome," and according to one national movie critic, "Jon Heder as a goofy street magician is the funniest of the bunch."

That comes from A.O. Scott in last Friday's New York Times review. And it may be faint praise in the context of this truly awful farce, especially since the rest of "the bunch" — Dax Shepard, Will Arnett and Danny DeVito — are so decidedly unfunny.

But it's nice to see Heder being singled out for a decent notice in the Newspaper of Record. Especially since, if you've only seen the trailer, you might not even realize Heder is in the movie.

The actor is, of course, a local favorite, thanks to "Napoleon Dynamite," which was co-written and directed by Salt Lake resident Jared Hess, and which in 2004 became one of the biggest hits to come out of that annual party in our own backyard, the Sundance Film Festival.

It was Heder's first feature film, immediately providing him with the kind of breakout role that actors who've been laboring in movies for decades would kill for.

Heder is also a local favorite because he's a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a rare commodity in Hollywood. In fact, a few years ago, he told USA Today, with a bit of chagrin, that he sometimes feels like an unofficial "ambassador" for Mormons because of his high profile.

That is not an easy mantle to bear, as any churchgoing LDS actor will tell you (as well as LDS Church members who labor in other fields of show business).

Let's face it, movies and TV shows today are generally so vulgar and sleazy that it's got to be tough to pick clean material that isn't merely pablum — acting roles that are challenging and juicy but don't wander into areas an LDS actor might prefer to avoid.

Over the years, I've heard stories from many LDS performers about how tough it is to maintain a moral compass when the offers start pouring in. And also about the heat that comes from some judgmental church members who don't approve of roles or shows in which LDS actors appear.

Which may explain the surprising number of successful movie and TV actors who have confessed in interviews that they were raised as Mormons but abandoned their faith somewhere along the way — including Aaron Eckhart, Eliza Dushku, Paul Walker, Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling, Emmy-winner Katherine Heigl and two-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams.

Thanks to "Napoleon Dynamite," Heder may have surpassed them all in terms of sheer moviegoer notoriety. Whatever you may think of the film, from the day it premiered, "Napoleon Dynamite" took on a life of its own — one that has yet to fade away.