Jack Black and the Director of Naploleon Dynamite...pure Gold

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2006)

I think the people that didn't like this movie probably were expecting something a little more formulaic perhaps? Maybe they expected to see Jack Black as he appeared in King Kong? Or Jack Black as he appeared in Hi Fidelity? I thought the movie was funny because of the intense desire Black portrayed at becoming a "great wrestler." There is an odd Peter Sellers Cato duality with his co-star that I found endearing. Also the way Black preens in the "Stretchy pants" is hilarious.
All the little nuances of the movie made it funny and how they moved from being slapstick to subtly gave the movie an off-balance feel. I never knew where it was heading and that is another reason I liked it. We didn't know if Ignacio was going to get the girl. We never even knew if they were ever going to win a wrestling match. The fun of the movie was watching them try.