Napoleon Dynamite breaks Loose

Napoleon Dynamite's popularity has given Jon Heder, as well as director Jared Hess, a reputation to live up to.

Napoleon Dynamite was one of those rare cult films that seemed to come out of nowhere. People began imitating him, “Friggin idiot!” as “Vote For Pedro” shirts flew off the store shelves. Parodies of Napoleon Dynamite showed up on television as well as in movies. One of the best is a short film that you can probably find online called Anakin Dynamite.

The character actually came about as Jon Heder was working with a friend Jared Hess on a 9 minute film at Brigham Young University called Peluca. Heder and Hess both met their wives there as well. Heder starred and Hess directed Peluca as well as an expanded version that became Napoleon Dynamite. It received great response at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. It’s budget was less than a half a million dollars but it went on to make more than $44,000,000.

Jon Heder is now an in demand actor. Last year he dropped the Afro wig but maintained his Dynamite laid back persona for a supporting role in the Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. His catchphrase went from “friggin” to “righteous!”

Opening April 7th is The Benchwarmers just in time for baseball season to start. Only Heder, along with co-stars Rob Schneider and David Spade play anything but professional players. Heder again plays a “nerd” character. I guess he likes to do what he does best.

So in demand is Heder that he will be seen this fall with Billy Bob Thornton in School for Scoundrels. He will also be heard as a voice in the animated film Monster House with Steve Buscemi and Kathleen Turner. Next year Heder stars with Will Ferrell as Olympic Ice skaters in Blades of Glory. Also in the works is a comedy with Diane Keaton called Mama’s Boy and another animated film about penguins called Surfs Up.

Director Jared Hess, likewise has a new film, Nacho Libre, opening soon. It stars Jack Black as a priest who moonlights as a wrestler to make money for an orphanage. As with Napoleon Dynamite, Hess and his wife Jerusha wrote the script for Nacho Libre.

It remains to be seen if either Jon Heder or Jared Hess will ever again make such an impact on pop culture, but with so much in the works it seems like it may be fun to watch and see.