The cult classic coming-of-age movie Napoleon Dynamite turned 20 last year, but the main characters—Napoleon, Pedro, and Uncle Rico—are still kicking around their old stomping grounds.
About five years ago, the film’s core ensemble of Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) hosted a Dynamite film screening and post-movie conversation with a moderator. Since then, the event’s grown more outrageous and fun-loving as the years have passed. Gone is the moderator; here to stay are scene reenactments, attendees in costume, Q&As in character, Napoleon Dynamite-themed games, and general tomfoolery.
The spectacle comes to The Paramount Theater on May 22. Ahead of the shenanigans, the three hosts joined C-VILLE Weekly for a video call about farmers’ daughters, protein powder, and chimichangas.
C-VILLE: Thanks for joining me. Looks like we’re still waiting for Jon Gries.
Heder: I just texted him. He said he’s getting on. He’s such a knucklehead—he’s our most technically challenged. He’s like, “I didn’t get today’s link.” Yes, yes you did.
Maybe I should just throw away my questions and let you guys bicker.
Ramirez: He’s also the most introspective of us—the wise man who has so much experience.
Heder: That don’t make you wise. It just makes you have good stories.
Gries: Hey. Hi. There we go. Sorry about that. The problem is, with my new setup, all the emails stack on top of each other. I’m a luddite. I’m a well-known luddite.
Now that everyone’s here: I recently watched Napoleon Dynamite with my 15-year-old, and she didn’t laugh as much as I did. Any idea why?
Gries: She just needs to watch it a couple more times.
Heder: Yeah, Jon’s absolutely right, and your daughter is wrong. I think this movie still really resonates, at least in our experience. We’ve had people tell us it’s the same as it was 20 years ago; it’s still relatable. You put away all the new technology and pop culture, all the technological fads and fashion, and it still has universal truths and universal themes: awkwardness, teen romance, trying to fit in, friendship, and family. We have heard from fans that say, “The first time I saw this movie, I didn’t get it.” But they watch it two more times or three more times, and all of a sudden it clicks.
So the event here will start with a screening. Do you guys ever watch any of the movie?
Ramirez: No, but there are times we arrive early and maybe see parts. And there are moments where—it’s just those little nuances from all of the characters—where you go, “Oh, yeah, remember that?” I think Jared [Hess, director] has—in not only writing it with his wife, but in the way it was edited—done it in such a way that you really care about each character.
Gries: There’s a lot of people who’ve never seen it in the theater. Yes, there’s a lot of the OG fans who come, but there’s also a lot of people where it’s the first time they’re ever seeing it with a crowd. That experience lifts the whole vibe.
What can people expect after the movie?
Heder: It’s the Napoleon Dynamite experience is the best way to put it. Very interactive.
Ramirez: I’ll tell you how it started. Someone asked us to screen the movie and go up on stage and talk about our experiences. At some point, Jon Heder goes, “What if we kick out the moderator and do it ourselves?” That really ignited something. It became much more of a show because we started to pour in all these ideas about our involvement with the audience.
Gries: We don’t have someone walking around with a microphone. We’re out there in the crowd.
Why have you continued doing it the last five years?
Gries: We love the film. We’re the original fans. We’re celebrating our fandom the same way they’re celebrating theirs.
Heder: When we made the movie, it’s not like we were sitting back thinking, “All right, we’ve got a hit on our hands.” We were along for the ride. That’s what these shows are about. You have these OGs who saw it when it first came out, and now they’re bringing their kids and friends.
It’s such a wholesome film in many ways, but it also felt kind of subversive. How does it walk that line?
Heder: I think the reason why it did so well, especially with families, is because it felt like an edgy indie film that’s quirky, and there’s art there, but it’s also just being honest and true to the storyteller. People kind of got bamboozled into watching something with no cussing, no sex, and not really anything raunchy.
Gries: Jared Hess being 22 years old when he made this movie, I don’t think that big picture ever came to his mind. He was just writing something that was true to his upbringing in Preston, Idaho. And it just resonated beyond what all of us imagined.
What did you all think of the script when you first read it?
Ramirez: I didn’t even get the whole script. All I had was pages, so I was guessing the entire time. I was like, “Really? What is this?” I got it like the day before I was going to Preston to start shooting.
What has this movie meant for your careers?
Heder: It was everything for my career. I didn’t have a career before it. When I did it and saw that it was getting popular, I was like, all right, there’s a good chance I may be known for this role for the rest of my life. But that’s okay.
I know you’ve been asked this many times, but will there ever be a sequel?
Heder: I think what people need to realize is, there’s no plan for a sequel, but if there was a plan for a sequel, do you think we’d tell you? No.
If you don’t mind, I have a couple questions for Napoleon, Pedro, and Uncle Rico. Napoleon: We have a lot of farms around Charlottesville, and you know farming. Any advice for the local farmers?
Heder: You better lock up your daughters, ’cause Napoleon’s coming into town, and there’s a lot more where that came from.
Uncle Rico: Everyone wants more protein these days. You’ve never had a problem with that. What’s your advice for the protein bros?
Gries: Don’t think you’re ever gonna get it out of a powder.
Pedro, your class president opponent, threatened to take chimichangas off the lunch menu. Did you keep the chimichanga?
Ramirez: The only thing I got to stay is, whether you’re eating or chimichanga or a tater tot, make sure you make all of your wildest dreams come true, no matter what.
Jon Gries, Jon Heder, and Efren Ramirez will take the stage at the Paramount to talk all things Napoleon Dynamite—ligers, tots, and Tina included. Supplied photos.
