Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) – J. Hess

Totally absurd and amusing, feeling sui generis or at least unlike anything else that I had seen at the time.  But also, I guess, a straightforward high school comedy where characters learn stuff and develop over time (maybe). As written and directed by Jerusha and Jared Hess, this is funny stuff but which doesn’t make fun of its characters, however ridiculous they may be. Jon Heder plays Napoleon Dynamite as a sullen teenage nerd (even if the actor was already well into his 20s), defiantly his own person, seemingly unaware that he might be perceived as different.  He’s got an older brother, similarly but differently nerdy, and they live in rural Idaho with their butch grandma (and later cheesy Uncle Rico) – it is hard to know what decade this is because everything seems very dated (furnishings, phones, vehicles) but then Kip the older brother is hanging out in online chat rooms every night and meets a girlfriend that way. The plot, as it is, centers on Napoleon’s new friend Pedro and his decision to run for class president (against popular girl Summer).  Pedro and another of their friends, Deb, are played expressionlessly, leading to some very dry deadpan humor (also typical of Heder who delivers ridiculous lines as straight as possible).  Amon referred to them as NPCs.  Essentially an anecdotal film, with the usual high school rites of passage (school dance, confrontation with bullies, class elections), all treated with disregard and irreverence – yet there is nothing here that smacks of mainstream attitudes or commercial filmmaking (not a teen sex comedy).  There is, however, one amazing dance routine by Heder that has to be seen to be believed. 

Barbie (2023)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Barbie (2023) – G. Gerwig

A bit under the weather on a Sunday afternoon with just Amon (aged 11) at home and the Barbie DVD having arrived from the library, so we chucked it in.  It was a bit weird to begin with – a grown man and a young boy watching Barbie – after the homage to 2001 (not quite funny but odd), the opening musical number, singing and dancing in Barbieland, had us cringing.  But then, the movie started to show its true colours (beyond just pink), critiquing the patriarchy, critiquing Barbie herself – and having fun while doing it and more importantly, letting the audience in on the fun.  Margot Robbie (Stereotypical Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Just Ken) play the dolls as not-too-bright but they grow in sophistication (okay, she does) as the movie unfolds and they leave Barbieland for the real world (where Ken discovers men have more power than they do back home). America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt play our mother-and-daughter identification figures with diametrically opposed feelings about Barbie.  Will Ferrell is here as Mattel’s CEO and Rhea Perlman shows up as Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler (we get some actual Barbie history lessons, including from narrator Helen Mirren). There are a lot of in-jokes for movie-lovers with nods to Monty Python, Jacques Tati, and more. It’s silly but serious, funny but dark, and altogether knowing in a way that even Amon understood.  He thought the end of the film might bring a world where women and men are equal (at least in Barbieland) but, of course, even more apropos, the Kens (there are multiple Kens and multiple Barbies, in line with the release of doll variants) only get a slight increase in their rights (just like women in the real world).  Director Greta Gerwig manages to tread a very thin line (including a message but avoiding being too didactic) and creates a wondrous world (with old-school special effects) that lingers with you long after the movie has ended.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

My Man Godfrey (1936) – G. La Cava

Classic screwball comedy that isn’t quite as frantic as some but which still contains a fair few throwaway jokes buried in the hubbub.  As part of a scavenger hunt searching for a “forgotten man”, sisters Irene (Carole Lombard) and Cornelia Bullock (Gail Patrick) find Godfrey (William Powell) at the New York City dump, living with other homeless men and looking the worse for it. When he decides to return with Irene (after pushing condescending Cornelia into an ash pile), the night ends up with Godfrey being offered the job of butler to the Bullocks, a surprise to father Eugene Pallette and mother Alice Brady (and her “protégé” Mischa Auer – the source of many laughs). He soon learns the family is chaotic, nearly unhinged in their need for drama, and although living in a wealthy manner, almost broke (a secret kept by Mr. Bullock).  What unfolds next is a life-lesson for spoiled children, a fairytale for those living through the Great Depression, and a well-acted/directed/written (six Oscar nominations) comedy. Surprisingly, Powell is given the straight role here but he plays it with expert skill and holds things together while those around him improvise. Highly recommended.