NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (20TH ANNIVERSARY)

Special recorded introduction by Efrim Ramirez (Pedro) before every screening!

Two decades before he directed the upcoming Minecraft, filmmaker Jared Hess made his debut with this deadpan comedic masterpiece, the bittersweet tale of a small-town outsider who navigates the world on his own terms. Jon Heder delivers a performance for the ages as Napoleon, an awkward, unkempt teen resident of small-town Idaho.

In the midst of navigating bullies and mean girls, Napoleon finds a kindred spirit in Pedro (Efren Ramirez), a fellow outcast making an unlikely bid for class president. The movie's irreverent dialogue remains quotable as ever, from Napoleon's sullen explanation of a liger ("bred for its skills in magic") to Pedro's oddly stirring campaign rhetoric ("vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true"). Hess, who was 24 years old when he directed this feature, captures the essence of rural ennui while mining warmth and good-natured charm in characters unafraid to follow their slanted path.

While not exactly a movie about videogames (though it did inspire an unlikely videogame adaptation in 2007), Napoleon Dynamite earns a spot in our videogame series Pictures of Pixels as it taps into a certain retro 80's charm, and set up Hess for the biggest videogame movie of the year.

Long before Minecraft, videogames have informed the art and culture of modern movies. Our latest repertory series, which anticipates the April 4 release of Minecraft on IMAX, illustrates the lively and dynamic relationship between games, gamers, and an array of memorable cinematic achievements.