Napoleon Dynamite

This article is about the film. For the television series based on the film, see Napoleon Dynamite (TV series). For the singer, see Elvis Costello.

Napoleon Dynamite
A young man with a mop of curly hair, wearing a brown suit. A hand is drawing in pencil around him.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJared Hess
Screenplay by
Based onPeluca
by Jared Hess
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMunn Powell
Edited byJeremy Coon
Music byJohn Swihart
Production
company
Napoleon Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 17, 2004 (2004-01-17) (Sundance)
  • June 11, 2004 (2004-06-11) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$400,000[1]
Box office$46.1 million[1]

Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 American independent coming-of-age teen comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, and Sean Covel, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the titular character, a nerdy high-school student who deals with several dilemmas: befriending an immigrant who wants to be class president, awkwardly pursuing a romance with a fellow student, and living with his quirky family.

The film was Hess's first full-length movie and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca (2002). Napoleon Dynamite was acquired at the Sundance Film Festival by Fox Searchlight Pictures, which partnered with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films for the release. It was filmed at Preston High School (Idaho) and different areas in Franklin County, Idaho, in the summer of 2003. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2004. Most of the situations in the movie are loosely based on the life of Jared Hess. The film's total worldwide gross revenue was $46.1 million.[2] The film has since developed a cult following[3][4] and was voted number 14 on Bravo's 100 funniest movies.[5]

  1. ^ a b c "Napoleon Dynamite (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Napoleon Dynamite - Box Office Data, DVD Sales, Movie News, Cast Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  3. ^ Duca, Lauren (June 10, 2014). "How 'Napoleon Dynamite' Became A Cultural Phenomenon (And Then Reached Critical Mass)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  4. ^ Tobias, Scott (September 24, 2009). "Napoleon Dynamite". The New Cult Canon. The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  5. ^ Fraley, Jason. "BRAVO 100 Funniest Movies". The Film Spectrum.