The Skinny:
An unpopular teen deals with his odd family and the growing pains of high school life.

The Good:
From my experience, you’re either going to love or hate this movie. I haven’t met anyone who’s “on the fence.” A lot of people who haven’t seen it ask me what the movie is about…and that’s not an easy question to answer. Heck, it was even hard to come up with “The Skinny” line above, but it’s the best I can come up with. You’ll have to see the movie for yourself, because depending on if you love it or hate it, you might find the meaning of the story totally different from the next person. I think it’s open to interpretation, which not a whole lot of movies are.

One thing you might want to keep in mind is that the movie is definitely driven by characters rather than story. So if you’re looking for something as deep as The Matrix or complex as Memento, you might want to find something else to watch. Napoleon, his pal Pedro, his brother Kip and Uncle Rico are all quirky, fun characters that carry the film along with their distinct personalities and great one-liners. In the hands of less talented actors, I think the film easily could’ve choked and died within 10 minutes or less. All things considered, I think it’s one of the most unique films released last year.

The Bad:
I can’t stop quoting lines from this movie! You can even go here to play with a Napoleon Dynamite soundboard!

The Ugly:
“Egg Orange Juice.” See the movie to find out what that means.

The Bottom Line:
I’m going to stop writing this review so I can go buy this movie.

Score: