Spring Break
No more Napoleon
Zach Wingerter
Issue date: 2/18/05 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
It has to be stopped. If it requires me to build a cake for everyone in the world just to have the catch phrases stopped, so help me Pedro, I'll do it.
This isn't like other movie quoting. People who haven't even seen "Napoleon Dynamite" are reciting it. That's the only funny part about hearing the peers reel out line after line from the movie - you can tell who's seen the movie and who hasn't. There's a certain divine flair to the throaty, sigh-y, saddened "idiots" who can only be captured by those who have actually seen Jon Heder's character on-screen.
It's an epidemic.
What is it about this movie that's so contagious? Yeah, it's funny in its own dry way, and I even had a copy of the DVD before I unfortunately misplaced it, but there are so many more movie-quote-worthy films, such as "Mallrats," "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle," and "BASEketball."
You college kids should spend your time learning these mind-numbing, yet superbly wonderful, films and then we can have a quote war about the cookie stand not being part of the food court.
One of the absolutely most annoying things about this "Napoleon Dynamite" virus is that sometimes the quote comes sputtering out without the quoter's conscious effort to do so.
Situation: Person A is talking to Person B after class about the test they just took.
Person A: "That test was super-hard. Gosh." Then, without thinking, they immediately repeat the word like Naploeon would say it: "GOSH!"
Person B: "GOSH!"
Person A: "GOSH! IDIOTS!!"
Person B: "IDIOTS!"
Person A: "GOSH!"
Person B: "Haha."
Person A: "IDIOTS!"
Person B: "Ha..."
Person A: "GOSH! IDIOTS! GOSH GOSH IDIOTS IDIOTS!"
Person B: Is thirty feet down the sidewalk.
Seriously, what is the deal with this movie?
Somehow it has attained cult status faster than a speeding bullet (but still slower than Superman). There are currently (I am not making this number up) 37 billion Facebook groups for the movie, ranging from "Napoleon Dynamite Club" to other, more creative names, such as "Napoleon Dynamite Fan Club." And while Facebook might not be the absolute best representative of Western students, it is noteworthy to point out that there are currently three and a half times more people in the "I Can't Stop Quoting Napoleon Dynamite, Gosh!" group than the "Drinking" group.
Please please please, stop quoting that movie. It's overplayed and played out, much like Switchfoot. Let it go. Hearing it quoted so often makes me angry! "GOSH." Stop "freakin'" quoting it, "IDIOTS!"
This isn't like other movie quoting. People who haven't even seen "Napoleon Dynamite" are reciting it. That's the only funny part about hearing the peers reel out line after line from the movie - you can tell who's seen the movie and who hasn't. There's a certain divine flair to the throaty, sigh-y, saddened "idiots" who can only be captured by those who have actually seen Jon Heder's character on-screen.
It's an epidemic.
What is it about this movie that's so contagious? Yeah, it's funny in its own dry way, and I even had a copy of the DVD before I unfortunately misplaced it, but there are so many more movie-quote-worthy films, such as "Mallrats," "Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle," and "BASEketball."
You college kids should spend your time learning these mind-numbing, yet superbly wonderful, films and then we can have a quote war about the cookie stand not being part of the food court.
One of the absolutely most annoying things about this "Napoleon Dynamite" virus is that sometimes the quote comes sputtering out without the quoter's conscious effort to do so.
Situation: Person A is talking to Person B after class about the test they just took.
Person A: "That test was super-hard. Gosh." Then, without thinking, they immediately repeat the word like Naploeon would say it: "GOSH!"
Person B: "GOSH!"
Person A: "GOSH! IDIOTS!!"
Person B: "IDIOTS!"
Person A: "GOSH!"
Person B: "Haha."
Person A: "IDIOTS!"
Person B: "Ha..."
Person A: "GOSH! IDIOTS! GOSH GOSH IDIOTS IDIOTS!"
Person B: Is thirty feet down the sidewalk.
Seriously, what is the deal with this movie?
Somehow it has attained cult status faster than a speeding bullet (but still slower than Superman). There are currently (I am not making this number up) 37 billion Facebook groups for the movie, ranging from "Napoleon Dynamite Club" to other, more creative names, such as "Napoleon Dynamite Fan Club." And while Facebook might not be the absolute best representative of Western students, it is noteworthy to point out that there are currently three and a half times more people in the "I Can't Stop Quoting Napoleon Dynamite, Gosh!" group than the "Drinking" group.
Please please please, stop quoting that movie. It's overplayed and played out, much like Switchfoot. Let it go. Hearing it quoted so often makes me angry! "GOSH." Stop "freakin'" quoting it, "IDIOTS!"
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
mopeacock
mopeacock
posted 2/19/05 @ 11:47 AM CST
Great article! My 11 year-old son and I saw the movie together and we both love it--I understand 30-somethings don't get it . . .
Haven't seen the other movies you mention, but we will (after I check to see if they're o. (Continued…)
mopeacock
mopeacock
posted 2/19/05 @ 11:50 AM CST
Another comment--we even say to our 18-month-old Corgi "Jane, you fat lard, come eat your dinner!"
Post a Comment