Jon Heder talked about what it was like to see the popularity ofNapoleon Dynamitestart with humble beginnings when it premiered at film festivals back in 2004.
Almost two decades afterNapoleon Dynamitebecame the surprise phenomenonof 2004, Heder, who starred as the titular moody teenage outcast, delved into what it was like to see the film when it first premiered the very summer it came out. Heder mentioned how immediately audiences took to it when the movie started.
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During an episode ofInside of You, Heder said that the turning point forNapoleon Dynamite’s popularity was when it was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. “At Sundance, everything in my life changed because that was the first validation,” Heder said. “The first screening was one of the most memorable moments of my life. The first shot of the film, he’s standing there with the trapper keeper, waiting for the bus. That’s when people just started laughing… Because people in an audience, especially at Sundance, and they know they’re with the filmmakers. People want to be the first to discover something, so they’re willing, they’re going out on a limb to take a chance. They’re willing to be the first people to say, ‘No, this is awesome!'“NapoleonDynamite then went on to slowly but surely become a cult hit comedy.
Following the release of and strong following withNapoleon Dynamite, Heder became a comedy star for the next couple of years. He went on to star inJust Like Heaven,The Benchwarmers,School for Scoundrels, andBlades of Glory, in addition to being the host ofSaturday Night Liveover the next few years. Heder’s star faded substantially after that, but he has done quite a few smaller roles since then. He even brought the Napoleon Dynamite character back when Fox greenlit an animated sequel television series for the movie in 2011, although that was short-lived since it had been years since the movie was popular.
Napoleon Dynamitebrought a certain charm in the deadpan humor it presented to its audience, which would not have worked as well as it did had it not been for the performances of Heder and everyone else in the cast. What also made it impressive is that, outside of Haylie Duff and Diedrich Bader, no one in the cast was an established name in Hollywood when it first hit theaters, especially Heder. So to see all of those unknown ingredients come together for one of the most surprising hit comedies of its time made it not only a funny movie but a unique comedy.
Part of its appeal is thatNapoleon Dynamitedidn’t have much of a plot. It just centered around a socially outcast teenager who goes through the trials and tribulations of adolescence in rural Idaho. Sure there’s the plot about his friend Pedro running for class president, but even that gets one-upped due to the most random yet oddly captivating dance number performed by Dynamite himself. The movie is random, unpredictable, and dry, but for some reason, not only did it work so well to gain an audience then, it’s why it’s aged pretty well 18 years later.
Napoleon Dynamitecan currently be streamed on HBO Max.
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