Jon Heder

In Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Jon Heder lets an awkward encounter stay awkward after the joke has landed. His deadpan delivery gives the boy little help in making himself likeable, which is a large part of why the performance works. We felt protective of Napoleon because Heder keeps his discomfort apparent after we have finished laughing. Jared Hess’s comedy wanders, and the thin story cannot support every pause between jokes. Heder is the reason we forgive as much of that as we do.

Hess’s short Peluca (2003) led to the feature that made Heder’s name, and the socially awkward outsider soon became his familiar assignment. Studio comedies followed, including Just Like Heaven (2005) and The Benchwarmers (2006). Blades of Glory (2007) paired him with Will Ferrell and put his physical comedy to work as Jimmy MacElroy. That broader slapstick is a useful reminder that he has more than a deadpan voice to work with. Repeated variations on Napoleon risk making his performances seem more predictable than they need to be.

Voice work offered another outlet, through Monster House (2006) and Chicken Joe in Surf’s Up (2007). The subsequent mix of independent films and animation included a return to Napoleon in the 2012 animated series. We would not ask him to abandon the awkward characters simply to prove he can do something else. But casting him as an oddball is not enough on its own: the character needs to matter once the initial amusement has worn off.

Hess gets that right in Napoleon Dynamite, giving us a teenager whose embarrassment matters even when his behaviour is tiresome. Some of the surrounding caricatures are broad enough to make the film’s kindness doubtful, and Heder cannot settle that problem for the whole cast. He does, however, stop Napoleon becoming someone we can laugh at and promptly forget. That is why we recommend the performance despite the film’s unevenness. Start there, but give it a few encounters before committing the evening; a busier plot will not arrive to do the entertaining for him.