Napoleon Dynamite: The Next Big Lebowski

I first saw "Napoleon Dynamite" on DVD the day it came out, and like a lot of people, I found it mildly entertaining. It certainly was not laugh out loud funny like everyone else seemed to think. When I would tell people this they would inevitably tell me to watch it again, so I did, and it was funnier than I remembered. Fast forward a couple of months later and I have now seen "Napoleon Dynamite" roughly 10 times (I work part time in a video store, I gotta watch something) and everytime I see it it seems funnier than the last time. Not since "The Big Lebowski" has a comedy held up this well to repeated viewings. Also both movies are funny without being played for laughs. There is not a single character in either movie that isn't acting seriously, the comedy comes from the absurdity of the situations and the crazy things the characters say. This is especially true in "Napoleon Dynamite" (but also true of "The Big Lebowski") where lines that wouldn't be remotely funny in every day life are hysterical in the context of the film. Lines such as "Grandma wants you to leave because your ruining our lives, and eating all our steak" or "Your out of your element Lonnie". So it appears they may need to make room in the cult classic archives because "Napoleon Dynamite" looks like it will only increase in popularity over time.

I can't wait to see what Jon Heder does next, he was so convincing as a nerd that I thought he was one, until I saw him on Letterman and he was a good looking laid back surfer guy with straight blond hair. Who knew?