It's been quite a while since I've seen a film where I didn't like a single character. That was The Big Lebowski. Fortunately, that was a fairly amusing film with some inspired dialogue and direction by the Coens. I can't say the same thing about Napoleon Dynamite.
John Heder plays Napoleon, an unsympathetic fellow with very few redeeming qualities. He's loyal... and he's loyal. And that's about it. I can't even call him a nerd or geek because he isn't very intelligent. He just looks the part. The rest of the supporting cast is simiarly unlikeable, from Napoloen's best friend Pedro, Deb, the girl who likes him, and especially his family. I was mildly pissed off halfway through the film.
The "big dance number" that has become a cult hit, especially the internet, is somewhat amusing, but it doesn't make up for the 1.5 hours of dreck that director and writer Jared Hess puts the audience through. If you're not going to invest in a character, or even find anything to like about a single character, then elements like dialogue, plot and visuals had better make up for it.
In the case of Napoleon Dynamite, they don't come anywhere close.
Bottom line: This film is bad. Avoid it like the plague.
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