Napoleon Dynamite

One-of-a-kind high school comedy for the family.

For most of its length this delivers a steady stream of uncomfortable gut laughs.

It's a cast of brilliant caricatures, and as such recalls the films of Wes Anderson.

As long as you don't mind making fun of the afflicted, there are some killer comic moments.

I began to appreciate the neat reversals of expectations, slow pace and serene non sequiturs of the plot, the film's smart approach towards teen alienation, ludicrous ambition and impossible dreams.

Napoleon Dynamite may be forcefully weird and intermittently humorous, and you might not know what the heck to make of it, but there's nothing shocking about its screenplay.

Those looking for credible developments should steer clear: the movie is all about the moment, the juxtaposition of the sublime and the absurd.

The soundtrack is casual, catchy, and sensationally fitting, complementing the alternating weirdness and sweetness of the incredibly singular personas onscreen.

Geek extraordinaire Napoleon thinks he's dynamite, wearing his brown velour suit and other 1970s fashion faux pas like they were bestowed on him to be cooler-than-you in. You will be inspired to likewise walk to the beat of your own drum.

It actually lived up to the hype.