The four older children and I watched this movie tonight. I picked it up at the movie rental place because I had heard that it was funny. What an understatement! I haven’t laughed so much in a long time. In spite of the fact that three of my children found the movie to be “seriously disturbing,” two of us thought it was great. Napoleon is a high school misfit with an attitude problem. His older brother Kip spends three or four hours a day talking to his friend LaFawnduh in a chat room on the internet, and his uncle Rico wants to go back in time to 1981 when he was sort of a part of an almost-winning high school football team. The whole family eats nothing but steaks, and they own a pet llama named Tina. Kip and Uncle Rico sell knock-off tupperware door-to-door until Uncle Rico comes up with an even better product–herbal breast enhancers. Napoleon tells his only friend, Pedro, that he (Napoleon) can’t get a date because he has no skills. Girls only like guys with skilllz–like numchuck skills or bowhunting skills or computer hacking skills.
The great thing about Napoleon is that he doesn’t really believe that he’s a social outcast with a bizarre family. (Well, he does think Uncle Rico is ruining his life.) Napoleon just keeps on plugging even though every day is “about the worst day of my life.” He keeps on doing whatever he thinks will make the next day a little better, anything from begging for a tube of chapstick to trying to throw Uncle Rico out of the house. Napoleon is sweeeeet, and he sure can dance. Don’t take my word for it. Watch it, and you’ll either laugh your head off or end up like Dancer Daughter, curled in a fetal position and seriously disturbed.

Napoleon’s Current Event Report
Last week, Japanese scientists explaced… placed explosive detonators at the bottom of Lake Loch Ness to blow Nessie out of the water. Sir Godfrey of the Nessie Alliance summoned the help of Scotland’s local wizards to cast a protective spell over the lake and its local residents and all those who seek for the peaceful existence of our underwater ally.