Gosh! Fans join ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ cast to celebrate 20th year of cult fave

Fans in “Vote for Pedro” shirts packed Arcadia Live last weekend to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Napoleon Dynamite"—and the awkward charm that never left.

The Kerrville theater hosted a screening of the indie hit, followed by a conversation with lead actors Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, and Jon Gries, who reflected on the film’s unlikely rise from low-budget experiment to cultural staple. Even now, lines like “Give me some of your tots” and “Gosh” remain part of everyday conversation for fans.

Directed by Jared Hess, the film follows awkward teen Napoleon as he befriends transfer student Pedro and helps him run for class president, all while navigating offbeat family life in small-town Idaho.

When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, expectations were modest.

“We were passing out buttons that said ‘Vote for Pedro,’” Gries said. “At film festivals you don’t know if people are going to come see your movie, so you have to hustle it yourself.”

Picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures shortly after its debut, the film went on to gross $46.1 million worldwide and an estimated $250 million in DVD sales—a massive return for a movie made on a $400,000 budget.

“We thought nobody would see it,” Heder said. “But it’s like our dreams kept snowballing and getting bigger and bigger.”

Two decades later, that momentum hasn’t slowed. What began as a quirky indie has become a cult classic, sustained by its deadpan humor, offbeat characters, and endlessly quotable lines.

“The story is about outcasts putting themselves out there despite being vulnerable, and in the end it pays off,” Ramirez said. “In a way we’re all nerds, and I think that resonates with everybody.”

Fans—some who were even seeing the film for the first time on a big screen—came dressed up in everything from “Vote for Pedro” ringer T-shirts to ponytails pulled to the side with scrunchies and jogger pants to Western-style shirts accessorized with bolo ties— all in an homage to the film's beloved cast of characters.

“Most of the costumes in the movie were from thrift stores. I think the idea was that in small towns, things like technology, pop culture, and fashion take a while to catch up,” Heder said.

The theater leaned into the nostalgia, offering a Tater Tot bar in homage to one of the film’s most memorable scenes, when Napoleon guards his pocket stash from a school bully. 

Earlier this year, Ore-Ida—the company behind Tater Tots—released a limited run of  Tot-Protecting pants inspired by the film, a sign that its cultural footprint continues to evolve.

For the actors, the film’s staying power is still surprising.

“We’re very grateful. We’re super stoked,” Heder said.

“We were so excited to be a part of something that mattered to us,” Ramirez added. “And now it matters to a lot more people.”

At Arcadia Live, that legacy was easy to see—one quote, costume, and Tater Tot at a time.

Originally published in the Sept. 19, 2024 edition of The Kerrville Daily Times.