my favorite movies of 2004:

(1) Napoleon Dynamite

(2) Before Sunset

(3) Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

favorite of 2004:

Napoleon Dynamite

(Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino. Directed by Jared Hess.)

This quirky indie comedy about social misfits in an Idaho high school (set in 2004, but with a retro vibe that gets people wondering if it’s a period piece) was a surprise hit that led to other movies with colorful, affectionate portrayals of suburban America, like Little Miss Sunshine (2006) (which is on my list of acclaimed movies I chose not to include on my list of my favorite movies of each year from 1920 to 2020).

The success of Napoleon Dynamite was famously hard to replicate. “The Napoleon Dynamite Problem” became used to refer to the difficulty of making an algorithm predict what else you’d like if you like Napoleon Dynamite. Apparently the movie was as odd as its characters.

My favorite of those characters is Napoleon Dynamite’s (Jon Heder’s) older brother, Kip (Aaron Ruell), who’s introduced to us when he’s sitting at home typing on a computer while in a romantic reverie, and tells Napoleon: “Don’t be jealous that I’ve been chatting online with babes all day.” Later, Kip says “I guess you could say things have been getting pretty serious” between him and one of those “babes,” though he’s “a little TO’ed because she hasn’t even sent me a full body shot yet.” I thought I could see where that subplot was heading, but the movie truly stunned me.

Then there’s Napoleon’s famous dance — here’s an interview with Heder about that. (Isn’t it weird to see him looking nothing like Napoleon Dynamite?)

It’s a love-it-or-hate-it movie: a lot of IMDb users rate it either 1 or 10 out of 10, and Ebert didn’t see the point. But while the plot feels aimless for a while, stick with it — Napoleon Dynamite does have a point, and it’s ultimately a beautiful point.

Napoleon Dynamite is the reason I don’t stop watching a movie when the closing credits start rolling. Keep watching past the very end of the credits, or you’ll be missing out on a wonderful moment.

Stream Napoleon Dynamite on Max (leaving after December 2023) or these sites.

2nd favorite of 2004:

Before Sunset

(Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy. Directed by Richard Linklater.)

A sequel to Before Sunrise (one of my favorite movies of 1995), catching up with the same two characters 9 years later.

I always feel like a freak, because I’m never able to move on like this 🫰🏻 — you know? People just have an affair, or even entire relationships, they break up, and they forget. They move on like they would have changed brand of cereals! I feel I was never able to forget anyone I’ve been with. … I never fully recover. That’s why I’m very careful with getting involved. … I will miss of the person the most mundane things. Like, I’m obsessed with little things. … When I was a little girl, my mom told me that I was always late to school. One day she followed me to see why. I was looking at chestnuts falling from the trees, rolling on the sidewalk, or ants crossing the road, the way a leaf casts a shadow on a tree trunk. … I think it’s the same with people. … You can never replace anyone, because everyone is made of such beautiful, specific details.

Stream Before Sunset on these sites.

UPDATE: The end of the trilogy, Before Midnight, is one of my favorite movies of 2013.

3rd favorite of 2004:

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

(Documentary. Directed by Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky.)

The biggest metal band ever, Metallica, battles their demons.

James Hetfield, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist, shares what he’s learned through recovering from alcoholism:

I don’t want to lose any of the stuff I have. I know it could all go away at one time. … All the drinking and all the other junk that I was stuck in — it was so predictable. So boring! I’m out there looking for excitement, and … the results were the same, man. I wake up the next day somewhere in some bed, I don’t know who this person is next to me, and I’m drunk, completely hung over, and have a show to do. … And life now is pretty exciting. You don’t know what’s going to happen when you’re kind of clear, and here, and in the now, in the moment.

You can stream Metallica: Some Kind of Monster on Netflix.

Click here for the full list of my favorite movie(s) of each year from 1920 to 2020.