Napoleon Dynamite

That’s the best summation I could muster immediately after watching this random-to-a-fault film, which has exhausted me to the point of incoherence. Which, indeed, is probably not a word.

I’m ordinarily a fan of ‘quirky’ films, so I did expect to like this. But I think for quirk to work, you have to find a way to make the characters human, relatable and honest… and Wes Anderson and David O. Russell this is not. This is all non sequitur and bizarre physical comedy. The plot, such as it is, doesn’t evince itself until halfway through the film. And ultimately it has absolutely nothing to say: I feel like I’ve watched an 82-minute inside joke.

Also, that it clocks in at 82 minutes seems unreal to me. Felt like three hours.

I do believe comedy is the most subjective genre in film, and I am especially picky. But this one really got under my skin. Still, you may like it. More people than I can fathom seem to.

Stars for originality, but I suppose it fails to satisfy anything I look for in a film.