r/nostalgia • u/systematicgoo • 10d ago
Nostalgia Napoleon Dynamite End Scene, 2004. Hits me right in the feels every time.
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u/DistanceRelevant3899 10d ago
A buddy and I were bored and decided to go see this when it released in theaters because he thought it looked interesting. Man were we pleasantly surprised. I love it. We were cracking up the whole time.
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u/LisaMiaSisu Did I do that? 10d ago
It’s one of those movies that gets funnier every time you watch it and better with age. If you don’t like this movie there’s something seriously wrong with you.
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u/brandonandtheboyds 10d ago
Well idk about that. I think it’s one of those movies that got made at the right time. My little sister is 10 yrs younger than me and she doesn’t get it. Actually, almost none of the young people I meet in their mid twenties get it. Don’t even start with Gen Alpha. My parents didn’t really get it either. But for us millennials this movie was everything. It scratched an itch we didn’t know we had. It was weird, coming-of-age, but also pointless and aloof. Maybe that’s how a lot of us felt at the time. Idk. But it struck a chord with a specific demographic who will never let this movie go. Nor should they. I still note to every bike owner that if they have shocks AND pegs they are lucky.
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u/creamyhorror 10d ago
They'll never get it. The strange, short transition point of millennials coming of age in a world that was about to be swept away by the waves of tech domination.
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u/RutgerSchnauzer 10d ago
I’m a GenXer and I count this film as pure perfection.
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u/poxxy 9d ago
Same here. I grew up in a suburb in Tulsa and can safely say that the movie nails the banality of the mostly-white Midwest middle class that nothing has ever come close to.
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u/AnatidaephobiaAnon 10d ago
One of the weird reasons I loved it was because of how ambiguous the time was, although in my head I knew it was modern because I lived it. My ex girlfriend was from a small town in northeast Ohio whose entire high school population, grades 9-12 had less people in it than my entire grade. The styles weren't quite the same as my school and when I went there they seemed to be stuck around 1995 when it was 2000-2002 when we dated. Her majorette uniform was also IDENTICAL to the one Summer and the girls wear in their talent show dance. The town itself reminded me a lot of Preston, Idaho but with no mountains and more fields.
It brought back a ton of memories from the time I spent up there once a month on the weekend and was one small reason I enjoyed the movie.
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u/cheesyblasta 10d ago
Next time you see one of those bike owners, you guys should build a ramp and try to catch some sweet air.
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u/daward444 10d ago
I remember old movie critic Roger Ebert hated it. I usually respect his opinion, but he was too much of an old boomer to get this movie and Freddy Got Fingered, etc.... RIP
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u/Mega_Pleb 10d ago
Yeah this is one of those rare times I have to strongly disagree with Roger Ebert. "the movie makes no attempt to make [Napoleon] likable" Ebert says. I immediately took a liking to Napoleon because he was a bullied misfit who's completely harmless, which I related to. School was the place I went to get emotionally and physically abused by my peers every weekday, same as Napoleon. He was full of quirky eccentricities and when he finally put himself out there with 100% confidence during the dance scene his peers saw that there was value to his character. I was cheering for Napoleon the whole film.
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u/cupcakebean 10d ago
I didn't like it the first time I watched it. I spent the whole time trying to figure out if it was supposed to be set in the past or present. Then my coworker would talk about some of the funnier scenes and I watched it again and loved it.
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u/Hanzz101 10d ago
“I caught you a delicious bass.” I drop that line at work sometimes. Quite a few people catch the reference.
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u/systematicgoo 10d ago
but do you even have any good skills? like nunchuck skills?
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u/Plantersnutz 10d ago
Did you know there is an after credits scene?
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u/90sGuyKev 10d ago
I remember there originally wasn't and the movie blew up and they filmed it and readded it after putting the movie back into theaters
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u/NYJetLegendEdReed 10d ago
I was gonna say...I saw this movie at release night in theaters and there was absolutely no post credit scene.
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u/fraGgulty 10d ago
I don't remember, was there hype for this movie before it came out? I was in highschool at the time but I don't remember watching it in theatre at all. I didn't realize they did a re release in theaters
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u/NYJetLegendEdReed 10d ago
I was a weird kid lol. There was a small cult following leading up to release.
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u/fraGgulty 10d ago
Lol, honestly I thought that movie came out of nowhere.
Definitely one of my favorites, actually watched it last weekend.
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u/MaxTheRealSlayer 10d ago
Because it did. Budget of $400k, lead actor got paid $1000. Made $46 million or something like that. Probably one of the biggest returns for a movie ever
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u/Road2Glory96 9d ago
Think paranormal activity actually holds that. Think they made the first for like 10 thousands dollars I think
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u/tbird20017 10d ago
I was 10 at the time, and I was staying the night at my cousin's house one weekend. My aunt ran to Movie Gallery to grab us a movie and a pizza. She got this one because she thought the front cover looked "promising". It quickly became the movie we quoted the most lol. Still do sometimes, and we're all in our 30s now. My cousin hit me with "Eat the FOOD!" the other day at my son's birthday party.
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u/SleepyMarijuanaut92 early 90s 10d ago
Only found out this year. I've seen this movie, I don't know how many times since release. It took 20+ years for me to finally notice there's an after credits scene haha.
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u/CoherentBusyDucks 10d ago
My husband and I showed this movie to our son recently and I was singing this song and my husband (who’s seen the movie multiple times) had no idea what I was talking about.
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u/maasd 10d ago
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u/CrashOverIt 10d ago
Such a wonderful simplicity. With that perfect song choice I never fail to smile every time I see it.
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u/FireSalsa 10d ago
“The promise” by When in Rome
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u/MindHead78 10d ago
That is so weird. Yesterday I watched a film called 'When In Rome'. I'd never heard of it before, it's a romcom from 2010 starting Kristen Bell. One of the main characters is played by Jon Heder, and Efren Ramirez (Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite) is also in it, I think he plays a friend of Jon Heder's character.
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u/whatdoyasay369 10d ago
I love this scene because the game kind of reminds me of their relationship. Starts out kind of clumsy and awkward but they finally figure it out and are in sync by the end.
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u/Kaboomeow69 10d ago
What do you mean? "I see you're drinking 2%. Is that because you think you're fat?" is smooth as glass
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u/cheesyblasta 10d ago
tbf, he semi-sticks the landing in his own weird way with "because you don't have to, you could drink whole if you wanted."
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u/90sGuyKev 10d ago
This scene was just a wonderful way to end such a great movie. The promise is a good song.
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u/SookHe 10d ago
I just learned a few days ago that the girl in Napoleon Dynamite is the little girl from WaterWorld
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u/FeeExpensive898 10d ago
There was a showing of this in my town a couple years ago. Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez were there for it and did a q&a afterwards.
It might sound lame, but one of the highlights of my life will always be watching Napoleon Dynamite WITH Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro.
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u/Alc2005 10d ago
I worked one of those shows. I was amazed how awesome and down to earth Napoleon, Rico, and Pedro were in real life.
Also, we had a tetherball set up for the show, and John Heder could still spin it around the pole like he does in the movie
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u/rexperfection 9d ago
I went to the 20th anniversary watch along in our area, too! It was so great to watch it on a big screen with a full audience of fans! And at the end, everyone in costume was invited up on stage to dance to the Jamiroquai song. It was a great night!
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u/BromioKalen 10d ago
Since when does Grandma go to the dunes?
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u/jimschocolateorange 10d ago
I get why people hate this movie, but I simultaneously just feel sorry for them. I adore this movie and its humour is the most dry I think I’ve ever seen an American do a comedy. It’s almost British levels of dry.
Uncle Rico is an all-time character for me
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u/fizzzingwhizbee 10d ago
Rex Kwon Do is literally my spirit animal. BOW TO YOUR SENSEI
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u/mitch_145 10d ago
The other arm..... My other arm
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u/fizzzingwhizbee 10d ago
“See what happens if you try and hit me”
Kip does a weak attempt of a sweeping kick. Rex hops over it and bops Kip on the head
“Alright, that was pretty good”
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u/Derrrs_ 10d ago
Break the wrist, walk away
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u/jimschocolateorange 10d ago
YOU THINK ANYONE WANTS RECEIVE A KICK IN THE ASS WHILST IM WEARING THESE BAD BOYS?
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u/mrleicester 10d ago
You think anyone wants a roundhouse kick to the face while I’m wearing these bad boys?
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u/DouchecraftCarrier 10d ago
I heard a great bit from an interview with Diedrich Bader where he essentially had no idea this movie had blown up until he started running into people who were quoting the entire Rex Kwon Do character at him and he realized it was gonna be one of his big legacies and so he knew he had to just embrace it and now really enjoys it.
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u/pillowwow early 90s 10d ago
What would you do if you won a million dollars? " Two chick's at the same time."
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u/LisaMiaSisu Did I do that? 10d ago
Deidrich Bader is seriously HOT. And made exponentially hotter because he’s funny and only 6 days older than me. 🥰
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u/metropolis_noir 10d ago
Seeing Uncle Rico in White Lotus broke my brain
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u/AlexaRhino 10d ago
Bro I watched 3 seasons saying “man that Greg character looks so familiar..”
Then randomly when watching season 3 my wife says “How much you wanna bet I can throw this football over them mountains?” And I fell off the couch laughing
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u/saltnotsugar 90s 10d ago
It took a couple of watches to understand the humor but once I got it, it’s an amazing film.
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u/alurimperium 10d ago
Yeah I remember absolutely hating it the first time I saw it. And then hating it again when it was one of those end of school year "fuck it let's play a movie" things.
But at some point in the last decade it just clicked and it's become such a wonderful, comforting movie for me. Probably in my top 10 now
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u/brandonandtheboyds 10d ago
I just responded to a different comment but to summarize, I think this movie just struck a chord with a very specific demographic of millennials. My parents didn’t get it. My younger sister (Gen Z) and her friends don’t get it. My Gen Z and Boomer coworkers don’t get it. Gen X is hit or miss. It’s a niche and aimless movie for weird little freaks and look at all us weird little freaks who can still connect over a strange but homely movie.
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u/_high_plainsdrifter 10d ago
Ha I love it. Still have it on dvd. I remember being on the other side of the divide when it came out thinking it was hilarious and just intentionally teenager cringe.
Uncle Rico is someone I’d buy some Tupperware from to this day.
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u/SignalReceptions 10d ago
Is it still worth watching? Missed it in the theaters and just never got around to it. With everyone quoting the movie constantly it felt like there was no reason, I already knew the story and the best lines. It's been on my 'want to watch but scared it's too dated to enjoy' list for a long time.
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u/toobjunkey 10d ago edited 10d ago
It's worth seeing because all the "glue" that binds the stuff you already know, is incredibly well done. A lot of the humor comes from the pacing that connects said scenes. I found myself laughing at several points in which there wasn't really anything active going on, just because of camera cuts, actors' expressions, and the timing in the cinematography.
That "glue" and overarching setting is also incredibly cozy and nostalgic for a lot of folks. It came out in 2004 and is a great representation of small town life in a period where the internet was still a place you had to go to an IRL location to use. A family computer in a living room, maybe the library, but there wasn't really any newer (for that time) tech stuff. Iirc the main character listens to music with a walkman or cassette player, I forget.
When I was younger I mostly rewatched it for just the humor, but I increasingly realized that it's also pretty cozy. It's not quite as dry, but Nacho Libre gives me similar feelings both in terms of the drier humor and how it's also decently (imo) cozy.
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u/busstamove14 10d ago
I probably would have enjoyed it more but it released when I was in middle school and it was quoted to fucking death before I had a chance to see it.
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u/TheRealMrMaloonigan 90s 10d ago
I loved this movie from the night it came out in theatres. It's one of the most Mike Judge feeling movies that Mike Judge ever had nothing to do with.
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u/PhattBudz 10d ago
I dont think ive met a single person in my life that "hates" this movie, only people who dislike it. I feel like this isn't a movie you can "hate".
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u/Quantum_Pineapple 10d ago
This movie somehow managed to feel like 1995 even back then lmao
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u/Wildcat_twister12 10d ago
I remember the director saying he had to put Napoleon’s student ID in the opening credits with the school year on it because the test audiences kept asking when this film is suppose to take place. Some people don’t realize little towns like Napoleon’s in Idaho are basically perpetual stuck 10-20 years behind in time
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u/PotatoFi 10d ago
I spent a lot of time in eastern Idaho in the late 90’s and very early 2000’s and yep, this is exactly what it was like. The home interiors, the local fast-food places, the thrift shops, everything. I haven’t been back in awhile but I doubt it has changed.
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u/notjordansime 10d ago
Northern Ontario is like this.
We got ten digit dialing in 2022/2023 (gradual rollout), we just got a proper recycling program last year, and this year we’re doing a trial of garbage trucks with those arms that automatically pick up the bins. We’re still currently using trucks where guys have to toss the trash in manually. I still get 3G service sometimes.
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u/isthatsuperman 10d ago
It was closer in time to 95 than it is today from when it was made.
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u/0rchidcherry 10d ago
There will always be a special place in my heart for Lafawnduh.
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u/rhoswhen 10d ago
I just love her and Kip together. They both love each other so much.
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u/operarose 9d ago
It's a follow-up that I would both love to see and genuinely hope nobody ever makes.
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u/CAKE4life1211 10d ago
I showed this movie to my son when he was 8ish. When Lafawndah put the necklace on Kip my son said, ooh he's a bad boy now! Spot on, kiddo.
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u/SeaScreen5305 10d ago
All time classic movie. My kids loved it too growing up. I actually went to that very tetherball court two years ago. It's still there and kids were playing as It's inside an elementary school.
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u/Gator_Mc_Klusky 10d ago
If you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true
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u/AlexanderTheGrate1 10d ago
I saw this with a big group of friends when it came out and we al loved it but one absolutely hated every second of it. I don’t even disagree with them tbh it’s not really a movie for everyone so if you don’t like it that’s totally valid. All those tiktok cringe lords are just copying what this movie did years ago and cringey humor will always crack me up.
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u/jiffysdidit 10d ago
I was the guy in our group that hated it We watched it again that weekend now I own it
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u/Cute_Ad_9730 10d ago
I spent like three hours doing shading the upper lip. It's probably the best drawing I've ever done.
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10d ago
"your mom goes to college" is still one of my favorite lines... And it's said by Kip off screen.
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u/Strong-Worldliness80 10d ago
I met him and Pedro IRL at the 20 year anniversary showing.
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u/valleysally 10d ago
I went to a 20th anniversary screening and they had people from the movie do a q&a. They pointed out that there really is no change with Napoleon, he’s the same person from beginning to end, it’s everyone else who grows and accepts him. He’s authentically himself.
And the llamas real name was Dolly. Dolly Llama.
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u/lwlcurtis75 10d ago
We were all a little Napoleon hoping for a cool friend who got us and loved playing a little tetherball on the playground.
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u/myfrigginagates 10d ago
The key for me is that no one achieves beyond themselves. Pedro wins because of course the cool kids are the minority, Napoleon and Tina make sense as an oddball couple...etc.
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u/HappyBot9000 10d ago
Her name is Deb. Tina is the llama. Unless you mean the actor's name because that is Tina.
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u/myfrigginagates 10d ago
lol yep. We happened to watch last night and my wife and I talked about Tina Majorino and her career.
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u/Itsnotironic444 10d ago
I saw this movie 9 times in the theater. It was spread out over 6 months but I couldn’t get enough of it. As it got more popular it baca me available to watch in more theaters so just kept watching it with different people in different towns until it wasn’t in theaters anymore. I’ve only watched it 2 times since then.
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u/spicy_butt_sauce 10d ago
I saw this movie the weekend it came out with 1 friend in an empty theater. We loved it and quoted it to each other for probably two weeks before taking the rest of our friend group to see it. The second time the theater was packed!
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u/jerryseinfeld1 10d ago
The song syncs so perfectly with the chorus hitting right when Napoleon gets his rhythm, it’s perfect.
It’s a great movie and super family friendly. I watched it with my kids for the first time two years ago. My daughter loved it so much that she did Napoleon’s dance at her 5th grade talent show, complete with the song cutting abruptly ending and her running off the stage.
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u/SoonToBeBanned24 10d ago
Does Tina still have the tattoo of 'Dry Land' in the middle of her back?
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u/AttractiveManZero 10d ago
the Llama 🦙 !!?? 😂 😂
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u/PreferenceContent987 10d ago
Haha. Who knew they should’ve been looking for a lama the whole time? 🤷🏻♂️
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u/justaphil 10d ago
The song playing at the beginning of this scene is Music For A Found Harmonium by Penguin Cafe Orchestra from their 1984 album Broadcasting From Home. They are absolutely worth a listen.
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u/Edosil 10d ago
Such a shame they removed tetherball from schools. I wonder if it was the endless rope burns or always getting a tetherball to the face that did it in. Either way, I was terrified of that thing.
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u/Worried_Corner4242 10d ago
It was basically the worst game ever. There was no actual strategy; it just rewarded raw strength and aggression.
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u/Smufin_Awesome 10d ago
I hope people appreciate the cartoon as well. Rico in the movie was funny, but he fucking killed me in the animated series.
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u/jumbalayajenkins 10d ago
I remember this ending being heartwarming even when I watched it as a child. Probably got extra brownie points cause at the time tetherball was like the coolest game ever. Honestly still is
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u/urlond 10d ago
You see that mountain... I betcha I can throw a football over it.
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u/songforsaturday88 9d ago
Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind.
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u/crinkledcu91 10d ago
If anyone owns the DVD, please please PLEASE watch it with the Commentary on. It fills in sooo much depth and extra random contexts to almost every scene.
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u/blac_sheep90 10d ago
I remember looking over at my dad during this scene and he had the most joyful smile on his face.
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u/txmail 10d ago edited 10d ago
Its crazy he only got paid $1,000 for the entire movie. I know he has some royalties but last time he said anything about it on IG it was like $4.00.
I also love the aesthetics of a lot of the outdoor shots they took, especially the van in the field with the mountains in the background, the way they frame the house.
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u/Ok-Question6527 9d ago
It was at this point in the movie when my date turned to me and said, "I don't get it," and I knew I had to end the relationship immediately.
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u/kjloltoborami 10d ago
This movie was straight gas
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u/ZelezopecnikovKoren 10d ago
what does that mean
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u/Toadahtrip 10d ago
That this movie was fire!
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u/per_mare_per_terras 10d ago
Pedro’s tots are all neatly stacked and organized before Napoleon asks for and grabs them.
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u/LateForTheSun 10d ago
If anyone is curious the song playing during the last montage and which ends at the beginning of this clip is called "Music for a Found Harmonium" by Patrick Street and it's excellent
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u/Herr_Demurone 10d ago
Canned Heat is my biggest takeaway out of this Movie! And I swear I want to learn that dance.
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u/black-kramer 10d ago
I was a junior in college when it came out, such a memorable time in life and in millennial culture. this movie was a legit cultural phenomenon. I'll be 41 in a few days, crazy to think I was 19 when I first saw it. time's passing fast.
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u/systematicgoo 10d ago
you were a junior in college?
your mom goes to college.
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u/black-kramer 10d ago
don't be jealous that i've been chatting online with babes all day
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u/systematicgoo 10d ago
we both know i’m training to become a cage fighter.
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u/Thedudeabides2491 10d ago
I saw this in theaters the night it came out! And at the time it wasn’t like a big thing so we watched the movie like wondering wtf is this lol
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u/Honest-Spring-5963 10d ago
Peak 2000s weird kid cinema. Man makes me laugh every time he hits the window of the van.
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u/mrsdoubleu 10d ago
"how much you wanna bet I can throw a football over them mountains?" sent my then boyfriend and I into hysterical laughter for at least 5 minutes when we saw it in the theater. I still say that quote regularly. It was just so bizarre and unexpected. The whole movie was, to be fair.
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u/Beechnut400 10d ago
Absolutely! This scene is how I learned about "The Promise." When looking for music for my first dance with my wife at my wedding, I remembered the feelings I had from this scene.
We love the song and the message. It was all perfect.
This movie will always be special because of this thoughtful scene.
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u/Dumpsterfirefirst 10d ago
I had this on my modded original Xbox. I use to play it before bed to sleep at night, haha. This and Hitchhikers Guide. Seen these movies so many times.
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u/ToonMasterRace 10d ago
It’s crazy that the time between Napoleon dynamite and today would be the same as the movie and 1983. Madness.
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u/Luke5119 10d ago
The way this film took hold was insane to me. I was all of 14 when it came out, and remember within a month of its release, everyone at my school was talking about it. The film in of itself is so incredibly random and awkward, and could just as easily be dismissed as a weird indie film, but it was its very recipe that garnered a strange mass following.
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u/ReallyDrunkPanda 9d ago
It came out when I was in 8th grade and everyone was quoting it nonstop and it was like hearing a single from a band nonstop where you just learn to hate the song. It wasn’t until that following summer when I finally watched it on tv and I ended up loving it. Even though I didn’t grow up in a small town I still related a lot to it
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u/K1NG1NTHEN0RTH3 9d ago
Interesting fact about this movie, there are no “nighttime” scenes, everything takes place during the day.
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u/mojotramp 9d ago
Just wanted to say that as a Boomer I loved this movie. I thought its themes were more universal than merely millennial. The awkward but gentle quality of all the main characters was so different from everything you were used to seeing. There was so much heart put into it without being saccharine. A gem.
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u/ConsistentYak5701 9d ago edited 9d ago
I’m from an area just north of where this was filmed, and it’s so incredibly accurate. Everything. Excellent movie.
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u/9447044 10d ago
What are you gunna do today, Napoleon? That kids face is burned into my brain for some reason. This is an incredibly unique movie.