Napolean Dynamite

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Year:	2004
Country of origin:	USA
Director:	Jared Hess
Genre:	High school comedy
Starring:	Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez
Rating:	4/5
IMDB link:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/
Tagline:	He's out to prove he's got nothing to prove.
Favourite line:	"You know, there's like a boat-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bow staff."

Jon Heder (Blades of Glory) plays the improbably named Napolean Dynamite, an all round geek.
Puny, overly analytical, unpopular amongst his peers and just plain awkward socially.
He and his best friend, Pedro, a Mexican immigrant, find high school a daily struggle as they are tormented by bullies and, more especially, the presence of pretty, unobtainable girls.
The movie follows their travails, an amusing, often warm - without ever being sentimental - journey.

Heder is excellent as Napolean, providing just the right amount of awkwardness to the character, without tipping over into caricature, and that really is the films strength. At times it veers into quirky, without ever stumbling into the phlegm-pot that is 'zany' or 'wacky', two attributes that have me running for the hills.
It's oddball without being 'maaaad', and that's a really fine line to walk.
Enjoyable throughout, this is a top class indie movie.