Napoleon Dynamite
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Most of the movies that the Mahoning shows that I've never gotten to see on the big screen before are films that were released when I was too young to see them in theaters, or movies that were released before I was born.
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Napoleon Dynamite is one of the exceptions. It was released in the summer of 2004, less than a month before I turned 24 years old. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see it in theaters, and my first experience watching it on home video was in the living room of my ex-girlfriend's aunt's house, which is just about the most unpleasant place on the planet that I've ever watched a movie for the first time.
I rented it later that week to watch by myself and it was love at first sight. Well... love at second sight. Whatever... the point is that I loved the flick, and I find that I love it more every time that I see it. I think that Napoleon Dynamite is a modern classic that will be looked on by future film historians as one of the defining films of the transition from the 20th to the 21st century.
You can't watch Napoleon Dynamite without tater tots, so we each ordered a tray of them. I also couldn't stop myself from including an order of Rico's Nachos in honor of the man who could throw a football over them mountains.
Tuesday nights at the Mahoning have been especially nice this season, but this may have been the best one yet. There wasn't a drop of rain that fell onto the lot the whole time we were there despite the fact that we've had thunderstorms off and on for the past week. It was warm with a very slight breeze, which is the perfect combination for a summer night at the drive-in.
I'm struggling to find the words to express how much I love Napoleon Dynamite. It's one of my favorite movies ever made, and I think it's perfect from start to finish. I'm extremely thankful to have had the opportunity to see it two decades later on the big screen.
