Napoleon Dynamite
2004 · Directed by Jared Hess
A high-schooler in rural Idaho campaigns to elect his friend Pedro class president. Liger drawings. Tetherball. The single most distinctive comedy voice of the 2000s.
Why It's Cult
Napoleon Dynamite is a movie so culturally specific it should be unwatchable to anyone outside Preston, Idaho — and instead it became one of the biggest comedy hits of the decade. Hess shot it for nothing, brought every regional inflection with him. The dance scene. Vote for Pedro. The tots. Either you find this hilarious or unbearable, with no in-between, and that's the most cult thing about it.
The Plot, Officially
Preston, Idaho's most curious resident, Napoleon Dynamite, lives with his grandma and his 32-year-old brother (who cruises chat rooms for ladies) and works to help his best friend, Pedro, snatch the Student Body President title from mean teen Summer Wheatley.
Starring
Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries
Where to Watch
via JustWatch →
