Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, he gives 3 stars to "Garfield," quite possibly the worst film of all time. Then, he gives "Napoleon Dynamite" half the fat cat's rating: 1 1/2 stars. His criticism? "We can laugh at comedies like this for two reasons: Because we feel superior to the characters, or because we pity or like them." He claims not to do the former, and excuses his failure to do the latter by saying "the movie makes no attempt to make him likable." I must admit, you can't help but look down on many of the characters in this film. Napoleon's older brother, his uncle, the popular crowd at school. But, notably, *not* Napoleon himself, his crush Deb, or their friend Pedro, geeks though they are. (Deb seems to be aware of her situation, whereas Napoleon and, to a lesser degree, Pedro, are *so* geeky they don't even realize it.) No likability? Maybe Ebert just doesn't like nerds--but believe me, watch the movie and you'll find yourself rooting for those three to get what they want. Ebert says "Napoleon Dynamite" went over great at Sundance but that this was the result of Sundance audiences' concern with their image, and if they had behaved honestly, they would have been "sit[ting] through this film in depressed silence." Well, there was no depressed silence in the theater when I saw it--just continuous laughter. And something tells me the Saturday matinee audience at the University District Metro Cinemas is nowhere near as concerned with their image as they'd have to be for *that* to be responsible for their reaction. Do yourself a favor, ignore Ebert, and see this movie!