I Am Kip Dynamite

Okay! Time for another stupid web quiz slash movie review. Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you? Apparently, I am Kip Dynamite and I love technology.

Napoleon Dynamite has to be my favorite movie from 2004. If you haven’t seen it, then you should check out the Official website and perhaps the trailer at Apple.com. If you really want to mix and match and get this party started right, then you’ll want to check out the samplings of two (not one, but TWO!) Napoleon Dynamite soundboards! #1 & #2

For as much as I and others love this film, I have bumped into a large number of folks who didn’t. These people are the “Haters.” Now, there could be many reasons why the haters didn’t like Napoleon Dynamite. For one, it is not an action-packed blockbuster. And fer two, there ain’t no big name stars in it prancing around like they’re the cock of the walk. This movie makes its points via subtlety and dry humor — two of my favorite things in life. But probably most obvious to me is the fact that none of the haters ever had any ability to identify with the characters.

The nerds. Dweebs. Geeks. Losers. And total wusses. Those are the primary characters in Napoleon Dynamite and perhaps why I liked it so much. For freakin’ once I could watch a movie that didn’t have 62 year old Bruce Willis blowing shit up and acting like a bad-ass. And no Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker comedy kung fu combo garbage either. Nope. This actually felt like it was a real story with real characters. Perhaps that gleeful dose of reality is what prevented some from enjoying the film. I, on the other hand, felt like I was watching an Idaho-adapted version of my life.

It’s the truth. Most of my life, I have been a pretty tight analog of Napoleon himself. Nerdy, out of place, definitely not beefcake. Also, we both like to dance and have an affinity for long sighs to exhibit our disgust. Certainly our ability to woo women is on the same plane (imagine a very low-flying plane, if you will). So following along with the main character was like viewing a recreation of my high school years. In a word, painful.

It’s funny that the test pegged me as Kip, however. All throughout the film, I was admiring Kip for his computer hacking skills and his ability to sweet-talk the ladies. I just kept thinking “Man, I’ve gotta be more like Kip. He is gettin’ with all the fine women.” But to be completely honest, these days I’m feeling more and more like Uncle Rico (the washed-up loser still livin’ in ’82), but the test said Kip so who am I to question it?