- 9
...an idiosyncratic and warmhearted teen comedy...
—Pam Grady Reel
- 9
...the film is an epic, magisterially observed pastiche on all-American geekhood, flooring the competition with a petulant shove.
—Michael Atkinson Village Voice
- 8
The film's a raggedy piece of work, to be sure, but one that creeps up on you, and by the end of it all, when Napoleon busts out some awesome dance moves to help out a friend in need, he's pretty much guaranteed to win over the geek inside most of us.
—Chris Barsanti filmcritic.com
- 7
...it's the classic dorks vs. cool kids story we can all?er, you can all relate to.
—Paul Ulane Maxim
- 7
Imagine a drier, funnier Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995) minus the cruelty, and you'd have a pretty close approximation of this totally unexpected delight.
—Ken Fox TV Guide
- 7
Napoleon Dynamite's unceasing burlesque creates a world that is pretty much a cartoon--and it's a damn funny cartoon to boot.
—Glenn Kenny Premiere
- 7
You'll laugh till it hurts.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 7
...a charming and often hilarious comedy about the ultimate high school nerd, is refreshing for its simplicity and its originality in a marketplace dominated by soulless blockbusters.
—Lou Lumenick New York Post
- 7
...a wonderfully original, deadpan comedy...
—Leah Rozen People
- 6
Director-cowriter Jared Hess borrows heavily from the Coen brothers and Wes Anderson to whip up some offbeat characters--too bad he doesn't emulate their storytelling skills, as well.
— E!
- 6
...odd, amusing...
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 5
An episodic revue of calculated whimsy and artificial awkwardness...
—Keith Phipps Onion AV Club
- 5
It's fairly entertaining--but not the second coming of indie comedy some notices might lead you to expect.
—Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune
- 4
I'm told the movie was greeted at Sundance with lots of laughter, but then Sundance audiences are concerned with being cool, and to sit through this film in depressed silence would not be cool, however urgently it might be appropriate.
—Roger Ebert Roger Ebert
- 4
At this point in the cinema of psychological slacking, we ought to demand more from a story about how it's hip to be square than deadpan faces and thrift-shop decor.
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 3
The movie possesses a smugness that is as irritating as Napoleon himself.
—Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times
- 3
...a thrift-shop Wes Anderson pastiche masquerading as the latest in cult-film haute couture.
—Scott Foundas LA Weekly
- 2
Its utter contempt of character puts it on par with the worst anti-humanist comedies of all time.
—Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine