There are a lot of reasons why I love the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Yes, still, even as a forty year old woman. 

Those who hate the movie might find this hard to believe, but Napoleon Dynamite is, at heart, about the deep value of relationships and how they  change us. The movie uses Understatement in a major way, which I think makes it slow-paced and boring at the beginning. If you don't finish the movie, it will be hard to like it, imo.

At the beginning of the movie, it's as though the major characters are muffled. Their emotions, their expressions, even the tones of their voices contain little emotion.

This is where Irony comes into play.

Secondary characters at first appear more alive than main ones. But as the story unfolds, as conflicts are introduced and relationships forged, the primary characters become the ones I root for. And by the end of the movie, a very interesting thing happens.

The discovered relationship and connection between the main characters has changed them so deeply that they become real and rounded. Those secondary characters who seemed more relatable at the beginning are actually flat stereotypes.

I also love the element of Surprise (aka freshness). When Napoleon's brother meets the girl he's been talking to on the internet, you're in for a surprise. There's a wonderful freshness in that scene, in how their love transcends the superficiality of culture and bias.

Besides the amazing soundtrack and fantastic use of Irony, Understatement, and Freshness, Napoleon Dynamite is a winner in my house because it takes the everyday blahness of (some people's) life and shows how friendship can change everything.

What did you think of Napoleon Dynamite? Anything to add to this? If you didn't like the movie, why not? What do you think now?