Acad Psychiatry 30:430-435, September-October 2006
doi: 10.1176/appi.ap.30.5.430
© 2006 Academic Psychiatry
Napoleon Dynamite: Asperger’s Disorder or Geek NOS?
Hope W. Levin, M.D. and
Steven Schlozman, M.D.
Dr. Levin is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Schlozman is Associate Director, Medical Student Education in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Associate Director of Training for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Program, MGH/McLean Program in Child Psychiatry, Boston, Massachusetts. Address correspondence to Dr. Levin, 11980 San Vincente Boulevard, Suite 809, Los Angeles, CA 90049; hope.levin{at}gmail.com (E-mail). Copyright © 2006 Academic Psychiatry.
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ABSTRACT
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Napoleon Dynamite, the quirky hit film from 2004, is a fascinating portrayal of a teenager with social difficulties. The character Napoleon provokes intriguing diagnostic questions in distinguishing between mental illness and the spectrum of normal behavior. He demonstrates several symptoms of Asperger’s disorder, yet he also challenges the notion that children and adolescents with Asperger’s spectrum disorders will not be accepted or understood. He forms genuine, connected friendships, and fans of the movie appear to celebrate his quirkiness rather than ridicule his oddities. The authors explore the extent to which cultural issues have an impact on psychiatric phenomenology, as well as the potential treatment issues for someone with his apparent social challenges. Finally, the authors offer possible explanations for Napoleon’s immense popularity, especially among adolescents. With the rise of computer technology, our culture has fully embraced the idea of what has come to be called "geekdom," and the authors consider the idea that Napoleon’s popularity may be a more rural equivalent for this phenomenon. The success of the movie appears to be related to a genuine celebration of Napoleon himself.
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Why Napoleon?
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Napoleon Dynamite is the unexpectedly critically acclaimed movie from 2004 that became an instant cult classic. It is also, however, something of a psychiatric conundrum. The film calls into question poignant issues that psychiatrists grapple with daily. As observers of human behavior, we must consider why unexpectedly successful cultural phenomena so powerfully capture the public’s psyche. This question is ideally suited for the psychological examination of Napoleon’s immense popularity.
In addition, it is clear from the very beginning of the film that Napoleon is not like other teenagers. He is awkward, frequently misses clear social cues, and seems developmentally delayed both emotionally and perhaps cognitively. One could easily entertain the diagnosis of Asperger’s spectrum disorder in trying to make sense of Napoleon’s challenges. And yet, inherent in most conceptualizations of Asperger’s-like syndromes is the assumption that those who suffer from the disorder are bothered by their lack of social connectedness and that those who spend time with Asperger’s sufferers are equally bothered by their strange behavior.
Napoleon, however, seems at times entirely comfortable with himself and with his social milieu. More importantly, the general public, those who celebrate the movie itself, literally idolize Napoleon. The movie has had astounding financial success and has developed a cult-like following. One Google search of "Napoleon Dynamite" yielded 11,100,000 English-language hits. Napoleon has been parodied on Saturday Night Live; there are countless movie T-shirts, dolls, lip balms, and other merchandise; and Napoleon costumes have been quite popular at Halloween. The town of Galt, Calif. hosted "Napoleon Dynamite Day" (1), and the "Napoleon dance" has become popular with teenagers across the country. In fact, there are several websites devoted to teaching the dance itself. Similarly, many expressions from the movie are now part of teenage vernacular. "Gosh," "heck yes," and "dang" are revived adolescent phrases that come directly from the movie script.
Though the influence of movies on teenage culture is hardly notable, Napoleon Dynamite is different from other movies. Written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, the film is slow moving and has no violence, cursing, or sex. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, none of the film’s immense fan base seems to ridicule Napoleon. Instead, the success of the movie appears to be related to a genuine celebration of Napoleon himself.
The Film
The movie is a relatively low budget independent film from 2004 that becomes more compelling with each viewing. Initially the story makes little sense, and throughout the entire film it often seems as if the action is just about to unfold. By the end of the story, however, one realizes that the plot itself does not really matter. The movie is perhaps best viewed as a prolonged examination of the characters themselves.
Napoleon Dynamite is a high school student from the small, somewhat desolate town of Preston, Idaho. He lives with his 32-year-old brother, Kip, and their feisty grandmother. Other details about his family are never elucidated, except that he has an uncle named Rico who is perpetually reliving his high school football stardom from the 1980s. Though this might seem a somewhat ordinary setting for a coming-of-age movie, immediately the viewer is shown that this will be no ordinary film. In the opening scene, Napoleon irritably ties a string around the neck of a toy action figure and then tosses it out the window of a moving school bus, watching it bounce along in the street as the bus makes its way toward school. It is hard not to view the action figure as metaphor for Napoleon’s life itself, pulled along by conventions that he neither understands nor embraces.
Yet, curiously, Napoleon emerges from the movie as a loveable and loyal individual who seems misunderstood and underappreciated by other characters in the movie, as well as by viewers of the movie itself. In short, we are not sure if we are laughing at him or with him, and this dilemma represents the crux of the movie’s strange charm. Virtually no one can see this film without wondering why Napoleon himself is so compelling.
Napoleon and His Friends
Napoleon has two friends, Pedro and Deb, who are also strange and clearly not members of the more popular crowd. Napoleon himself shows no inhibitions. He acts as if he does not recognize others’ reactions, but it is not entirely clear if he appreciates the reactions that others show him. On the other hand, his best friend, Pedro, is somewhat flat affectively but seems cognizant of the extent to which he does not quite fit in at his school. The most familiar character is Napoleon’s friend and romantic interest, Deb. She is much more socially anxious and appears acutely aware of her social status. She is inhibited, and the viewer can more easily identify with her painful high school experience. In contrast to the oddness of Napoleon and Pedro, Deb reminds us of our own social anxiety, perhaps in a less exaggerated form, and her character helps to anchor the movie in a familiar psychological theme.
Napoleon engenders a different feeling altogether in the viewer. We recognize his awkwardness, and in turn we feel uncomfortable for him because he does not appear to realize his own peculiarity. This is the very quality that makes him so interesting. He behaves in ways which we would likely shun both in ourselves and in others.
The Ordinary Retold
In one way, Napoleon Dynamite is a classic story about an adolescent. He struggles with the basic developmental task of feeling comfortable with himself while developing rewarding friendships based on mutual acceptance and understanding. The film has a universal theme, and the viewer is pulled to feel for the awkward kid succeeding over the popular cheerleader. However, despite this familiar dynamic, Napoleon’s oddness is striking. As we cringe at his painful plight, we are unsure if he is even aware of his situation. To our knowledge, no one has pondered Napoleon’s diagnosis in either the medical or popular literature, and his problems are never explicitly mentioned in the film. He seems to be viewed by adults in a matter-of-fact, resigned manner, but no one tries to help or redirect him.
Napoleon as a Challenge to Psychiatric Nosology
The movie is provocative from a psychiatric perspective because it raises the question of distinguishing between mental illness and the acceptable spectrum of normal behavior. As we have argued, Napoleon has many symptoms that are consistent with Asperger’s disorder. He suffers the "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities" that DSM-IV-TR mandates (2). As with other diagnoses, Asperger’s disorder requires a significant impairment in functioning. Usually diagnosed in childhood, the course is chronic with a variable outcome, depending on the severity of impairment.
In fact, many symptoms of Napoleon’s potential Asperger’s disorder are evident throughout the film. Napoleon shows impairment in nonverbal behaviors early in the film when he is giving a class presentation with his eyes closed. He often faces the floor when speaking to friends, and he regularly starts and stops conversations abruptly. His speaking style is especially awkward on the phone. During one conversation with his brother, he pauses for long periods and sighs deeply, instead of speaking, to express disappointment. Several times we watch him practically hang up the phone because he had finished his portion of the conversation.
In addition, Napoleon displays painful awkwardness in most of his friendships and romantic pursuits. Several scenes in the movie show Pedro and Napoleon having intense discussions about how to impress girls—normal behavior for teenagers. They come to the conclusion that impressing girls with "skills" is the best option. Napoleon explains, "You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills. Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills." Pedro then suggests, "Just draw a picture of the girl you want to take out, and give it to her for, like, a gift or something." Though we are never made aware of the exact ages of the characters, their understanding of romantic relationships seems like that of a young child—the simple act of drawing a picture or mentioning nunchuck skills is enough, without the need for nuanced communication or physical attraction.
Similarly, Napoleon attempts to fit in with his classmates by telling lies and exaggerations. During one scene in the school locker room, he is asked about his past summer plans in a condescending tone by one of the popular students. Seemingly unaware that he is being mocked, he explains that he spent the summer with his uncle in Alaska "shooting wolverines." The other students stare at him in disbelief, but he continues to explain how the wolves attacked his cousin so he needed to shoot "like 50" of them with "a frickin’ 12-gauge." His sense of how to connect with his peers is misguided, as he does not realize that others will be able to detect the outrageousness of his stories.
Napoleon is often very irritable and usually appears dysphoric and blunted. Early in the film, his grandmother asks him how his day was, and he replies in an annoyed tone, "The worst day of my life! What do you think?" Similarly, during the opening scene we watch Napoleon board the school bus and sit in the very last row. A much younger child seated across the aisle timidly asks, "What are you gonna do today, Napoleon?" Without provocation, Napoleon responds in a near-growl, "Whatever I feel like I want to do. Gosh!" The child looks rebuffed, and the conversation is abruptly finished. In many scenes, especially when he is with his family, Napoleon has a dejected and depressed quality to him; we get the sense he is trudging through life.
In other scenes, we watch Napoleon making an effort to connect with Deb, but the interactions seem excruciating and heartbreaking. When they meet for the first time, Deb knocks on Napoleon’s door to sell key chains and advertise her photography services to raise money for college. She appears very shy and anxious in her role as salesperson. Napoleon seems completely unaware of her feelings, and his curt responses intensify her nervousness. It is not just that he lacks social graces. He seems unable to appreciate Deb’s perspective and demonstrates a lack of theory of mind. He is therefore unable to relieve her anxiety, and the situation becomes increasingly awkward until eventually she drops her wares and runs away. In their next meeting, Napoleon provides another example of his lack of relatedness. He approaches Deb in the cafeteria while she is drinking milk. He opens with, "I see you are drinking one-percent. Is that ’cause you think you are fat? ’Cause you are not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to." She looks puzzled and does not respond. He is unaware that commenting on food choices as they relate to weight and body image is insensitive and too personal for a casual interaction between acquaintances.
Throughout the film we see glimpses of Napoleon’s peculiar interests. He frequently draws fantasy animals like unicorns and "ligers" ("It is like a lion and a tiger mixed"), which again brings to mind the imagination of a younger child. As already described, in the opening scene he tosses an action figure out of the bus window. Later in the film we watch Napoleon compete in a milk-tasting competition, and he successfully identifies the factors influencing the taste of the milk: "This tastes like the cow got into an onion patch." Although this seems like an unusual skill, it must be noted that in the film, FFA sponsored the competition. FFA, formerly called Future Farmers of America, is a real organization promoting agricultural education for teenagers, with over 490,000 members in every state.
However, in contrast to the symptoms described above, at times Napoleon seems more related and socially aware. Early in the film he takes initiative and introduces himself to Pedro, a new student to the school. Later we watch him reach out to another student who is being bullied. It seems he is able to recognize the other student’s situation and empathize with him. Despite his off-putting behaviors, a sense of compassion is palpable. As the film progresses, we watch his relationships with Pedro and Deb develop. He joins Pedro in his campaign for class presidency, and the two form an enthusiastic team. They seem to connect well here, and in the final scene we watch Napoleon dance for Pedro’s campaign skit. Similarly, the relationship between Deb and Napoleon deepens throughout the movie, and by the end they seem to have a genuine connection. We watch them play tetherball and exchange looks in a manner that seems related and intimate.
At times, Napoleon seems to be more aware of his social standing as well. He becomes enraged at Uncle Rico when he learns Rico has given two popular girls flyers advertising a natural breast enhancer called "Bust Must Plus." He throws something at Rico’s van and then yells, "Everybody at school thinks I’m a freakin’ idiot ’cause of you!" Unlike other scenes in the film, in this scene Napoleon is acutely aware of how his social status is affected by Rico’s obnoxious behavior. Likewise, he takes a popular girl to a school dance, only to be abandoned by her when they arrive. We watch him anxiously look around the gymnasium for her and then sulk in the bathroom when he realizes she has left him. While he has a relative lack of self-consciousness, he is not immune to feeling isolated and rejected.
The movie ends with Napoleon performing a surprisingly stellar dance in front of the entire school as part of Pedro’s presidency campaign skit. The dance begins awkwardly, and the viewer cannot help but cringe at the embarrassment we presume will ensue. We are quickly surprised as the moves become smoother. They are strange—not typical modern dance moves—yet they hang together and have an internal coherence that combines unusual postures with cool moves that demonstrate real passion and sexuality. We see a different side of Napoleon, one that is quite compelling and skilled. He receives a standing ovation. While he resumes his usual awkward body language when the music ends, Napoleon emerges triumphant as a loyal friend and accepted class member.
What Ails Napoleon?
These contrasts force us to reckon with the provocative question of whether Napoleon can be considered as having a disorder of social interaction if he is accepted by those around him and if his behavior is consistent with acceptable social rules. This is not to say that those with Asperger’s are not accepted by their schools. However, rarely are they celebrated to the extent that Napoleon enjoys by the end of the film. If his oddness is tolerated and if he functions on par with others in his school, family, and community, does he have a psychiatric problem? What is the impact of his "symptoms" within the subculture of his rural community?
Didactic Use of the Film to Challenge Psychiatric Epistemology
Those who teach about psychiatric diagnosis must stress the extent to which cultural aspects of behavior have an impact on the willingness to apply a diagnosis. Indeed, it is the mismatch between behavior and culturally acceptable norms that is usually the primary means by which we gauge the seriousness of a disorder. Napoleon’s character poses the ideal template for these discussions. Certain personality traits and skills are valued by specific groups, depending on the local and national cultural context. Just as Napoleon’s mastery of important agricultural concepts would be odd in a city, in Preston, Idaho, these skills are valued and even celebrated.
Similar cultural changes have been observed throughout our rapidly changing technological world. The lucrative expansion of the technology industry has literally reshaped the extent to which those with technological savviness are accepted and valued. Those who master technology are still considered "nerds," though this very "nerdiness" has become cool. Bill Gates is an icon and the "Geek Squad" is a popular computer repair service at Best Buy stores. Our culture has embraced geekdom with open arms, and one might argue that Napoleon’s popularity is directly related to a more rural equivalent for this phenomenon.
For example, the 2004 nonfiction book Geeks (3) discusses many of these cultural shifts.
Until now, nerds and geeks (and their more conventional predecessors, the engineers), marginalized as unglamorous, have never risen to great status or influence. But the Internet is the hottest and hippest place in American culture, and the whole notion of outsideness has been upended in a world where geeks are uniquely—and often solely—qualified to operate the most complex and vital systems, and where the demand for their work will greatly exceed their ability to fulfill it for years to come. For the first time ever, it is a great time to be a geek.
Similarly, Napoleon’s dancing abilities are suddenly valued during the election assembly, and he emerges triumphant. In a conversation with the founder of Wired magazine, Jonathan Katz, the author of Geeks, describes this same transformation from the vantage point of the emerging popularity of technological prowess:
Class used to be about race, gender, social standing—old ideas... Geeks were involved with the new ones. "The new cultural class has no physical demands or restrictions," "There are music geeks and dance geeks. Geekdom is evolving. Anybody who is obsessed with a topic and becomes completely one with it...whether it is computers, music, or art—geeks come into that. Geeks is sometimes about technology but mostly, it is about brains, and about being resented for being smart."
It is obviously impossible to make a firm diagnosis based on the film, but if we conclude that Napoleon does in fact have Asperger’s disorder and is not simply a geek in this new sense of the word, does he need clinical intervention? The degree of any substantive impairment is debatable. By the end of the movie he has successfully made close friends, impressed his school with his dancing, and helped cinch Pedro’s win for class president. He connects with his audience at school (at least while he is dancing), as well as with the viewer.
However, could he relate better and have more social connections with clinical treatment? Would it be possible for him to better understand social cues? We might envision him with improved eye contact and more gracious phone etiquette. Perhaps treatment could improve his mood and allow him to interact with less of an irritable edge. Could he get along better with his brother Kip, his grandmother, his uncle Rico, or even the pet llama, Tina?
Alternatively, perhaps his grandmother’s harshness, Rico’s misplaced machismo, and Kip’s passivity make Napoleon’s irritability understandable. Maybe the "problem" lies within them. Similarly, his school seems entrenched in a world where cheerleaders and football players rule, and difference is not tolerated. The principal seems baffled that Pedro speaks English because he is Latino. Should Napoleon need intervention to better fit into this rigid, exclusionary social structure?
Furthermore, one might ponder the more pragmatic issues of exactly what treatment would look like and whether it would even be available in Preston, Idaho. Ideally, we can imagine a combination of individual and group psychotherapy, as well as speech and language therapy to focus on social pragmatics. He would need guidance on improving eye contact and controlling irritability. He could also benefit from practicing social greetings and phone skills (i.e., not hanging up abruptly). It would likely help him to tone down his exaggerations and outright lies. Establishing therapeutic alliance would be the initial challenge in the individual work. One could imagine engaging around his dancing and drawing. With time, more insight-oriented exploratory work would be a significant piece of the therapy, partly to better assess the impact of the social exclusion on his sense of self-worth. He desperately seeks a romantic relationship but has trouble figuring out how to initiate a suitable approach. At times, underneath his oddness, he seems to have a deep sense of compassion. Perhaps in therapy he could further explore this aspect and learn how to translate it into caring behavior. Treatment would also likely involve family and educational interventions, and we clearly would need in-depth information about his family, early development, and school.
However, it is not clear that these interventions would be available in Napoleon’s world, though one might argue that the lack of these interventions preserves the capacity for Napoleon’s triumphant finale. More social skills training might have interfered with his willingness to perform the crowning dance performance that ultimately earns him the respect of his friends and of the viewers.
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Conclusions
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So, why is this odd film so successful? Why do adolescents from multiple backgrounds embrace Napoleon’s character with such enthusiasm? And why does a character who might meet criteria for a disorder usually associated with immense discomfort in those around him instead become celebrated and imitated as a new kind of "cool"? These are questions that deserve careful consideration among practitioners of mental health. His character is deeply compelling, funny, and real. We cannot wait to see what he will do next, because his behavior is so fascinating and sometimes appalling. We laugh at his weirdness, but we identify with some aspects of his plight. Perhaps this is why his victory feels so good—the sexy and coordinated part in each of us is somehow vindicated.
Napoleon is different but not necessarily ill. His friends are disconnected and alienated, but ultimately at peace with themselves and with those around them. Any immediate diagnosis of Napoleon must be weighed against the potential cost of calling him abnormal, especially to adolescents, who might strongly identify with and even admire his "otherness." To diagnose Napoleon in the absence of this discussion is to risk an empathic failure with those who admire Napoleon’s character. Similarly, when clinicians assume that the social skills of their patients are problematic, they must carefully measure these skills against the backdrop of the existing cultural milieu. Though this is perhaps an obvious and the most intellectually compelling aspect of psychiatric diagnosis, in the increasingly rigid and rushed setting in which we practice, the mistake of exclusively applying our own standards to those of our patients becomes increasingly likely.
A movie about a socially disconnected character is embraced by multiple subcultures and at multiple levels. Perhaps this point alone is the best didactic conclusion one might draw from the film. Where appropriate, teachers can engage students in discussions of why the film struck such a chord and in doing so demonstrate a willingness to entertain a fluid and moving spectrum of illness and health. The movie is popular precisely because it steers clear of rigid diagnostic and descriptive categories. Napoleon could probably use our help, but, gosh, that does not mean he is necessarily sick.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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The authors would like to acknowledge Eugene V. Beresin, M.D., Jeff Q. Bostic, M.D., and Andres Martin, M.D., for their guidance and mentorship in writing this article.
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REFERENCES
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- Heyamoto L: Galt seeks to inspire teens on Napoleon Dynamite Day. Sacramento Bee, June 25, 2005
- American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994
- Katz J: Geeks. New York, Villard, 2000
This article has been cited by other articles:
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A. Westphal
Ligers Lived
Acad Psychiatry,
June 1, 2007;
31(3):
247 - 247.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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B. W. Sharp
Napoleon Dynamite Has Asperger's? Gosh, It's Called Cultural Competence, You Freakin' Idiots
Acad Psychiatry,
June 1, 2007;
31(3):
248 - 248.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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ABSTRACT
Why Napoleon?
