Geek of Oz

I recently watched Napoleon Dynamite for the first time, and was worried that it wasn’t going to live up to the hype. It’s one of those films that whenever I mentioned I hadn't seen it, a chorus would sing out declaring it one of the greats. So it was with great trepidation that I decided to put its reputation to the test … and it was glorious! A delicious blend of quirky characters, exquisitely-timed comedy and tonnes of heart, which is everything I want in a film like this. I’m not surprised that Napoleon Dynamite is held in such high regard since, at its core, it’s a tale about finding your special place in the world where you’re free to just be you. It’s so damn relatable because, in this increasingly social-media-fuelled world, it feels as though those spaces are becoming harder to find. I particularly love how Director Jared Hess (Nacho Libre) took a nondescript location and populated it with such fascinatingly peculiar inhabitants. In a way it reminded me of Baz ...