Napoleon Dynamite

When Napoleon Dynamite was released in a summer blockbuster-packed season last year, it proved to be quite a blockbuster. For more than 13 or so weeks, this movie made over $44 million on a budget of just $40,000. That's huge compared to the gross of Shrek 2, which was $434 million, on a modest budget of $70 million, and especially box office bombs like Troy, which grossed only $131 million on a cost of $175 million, and Van Helsing, which made only $113 million on a budget of over $148 million.

In this romantic high school nerd comedy, Jared Hess (a guy with curly hair and rimmed glasses) plays Napoleon Dynamite, a high school senior who lives an ordinary life of an ordinary teen in rural America. He has no girlfriend, but has a friend by the name of Pedro, who helps Nap go through things in life. Mr. Dynamite's dad (Jon Heder) is divorced from his wife and wants a new girlfriend; enter La Faunda, a nice girl with a cool attitude. Summer (Haylie Duff) is Napoleon's friend, and Tina Majorino (whom you might remember from such flicks like Andre, about the seal) plays Nap's sis. All in all, crazy things will happen to Mr. Dynamite when the school prom begins.

Full of hilariousness and takes on popular '80s culture like new wave music, fantasy (check out that Dragonslayer poster), Napoleon Dynamite is a comedy for the kid in all of us. It is one of the best comedies of the year, and just wait after the credits end for a hidden surprise!

Coming soon: A review of The Fifth Element, the Ultimate Edition.