Ok, so this week I went with two movies that I had heard good reviews about, one online (Napoleon) and one recommended by a friend (Garden State).
Napoleon Dynamite
I think with this movie I fell victim to the hype, how the movie was marketed and what my perceived notion as to what the movie was going to be, and the movie didn’t live up to my expectations.
Now with that being said I always try to like a movie, I don’t make a decision until after it’s over on whether or not I like it. I let it play out and then decide, and that is what I did with this movie.
The movie is a little bizarre and different. It follows the story of Napoleon (yes his last name is Dynamite), a strange odd kid who’s the outcast of his school. He’s picked on by bullies and has no friends. He then befriends the new kid in school, Pedro, who his also somewhat of an outcast and also hangs out with another freak, Deb who wears a ponytail on the side of her head. The interactions between these are sometimes humorous, but never hilarious.
Napoleon also has a strange home life, he and his brother (Kip who is 32, dates online, and talks with a lisp) live with his grandmother (who in the first 5 minutes of the film leaves on a trip). When the Dynamite boys’ grandmother gets hurt riding her 4-wheeler off a sand dune the boys Uncle Rico is sent to stay with them and take care of them.
One of the things that must happen to make a movie worth watching is the viewer wanting to spend time knowing what will happen next to the characters and being interested in them. In this movie you never feel like you want to know what is going to happen to Napoleon. He isn’t a character that you either root for or root against. You find him goofy and sometimes funny, but not interesting.
It is a small independent film and I wouldn’t say not to watch and to stay away from it, but on the other hand I would go out looking for it and saying “I must watch Napoleon Dynamite.”
Final Verdict: Rent only if Desperate. 2 out of 5.
Garden State
This movie is about Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff), and actor who returns home for his mother’s funeral. Andrew has been away for about 9 years and on his trip home rekindles friendships with old high school friends and meets a girl Sam (Natalie Portman).
The movie was also written and directed by Zach Braff, from Scrubs fame.
There are definitely some more subtle funny moments in this movie than in Dynamite and I laughed out loud a few times. The movie moves at a slow pace and never really picks up, it’s hard to see where it is all finally going.
Andrew is a lot like Napoleon in terms of being a character that you neither root for or against as he works his way through his mother’s death. Actually the most interesting character is Sam and you would almost rather the movie be about her than Andrew. She is the character you root for and want to succeed. She is the more interesting character and you would like to see how her life continues after the movie ends.
There is some good dialogue, very good music, and the story is interesting enough to keep my attention, and as I said Sam (Portman’s character) is the one character that I would want to see more of on screen. Would I watch it again? No, but I think if you wanted to check out an interesting small independent film and you like Natalie Portman you should rent it.
Final Verdict: Not a must see, but an average decent movie, neither great nor awful. 3 out of 5
Next Movies: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I Robot, Collateral.
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