The Napoleon Dynamite Onscreen Relationship That Did Not Age Well
While the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" was a huge success when it was released in 2004, a lot of the material on it could be considered a bit problematic for today's standards. The film is about an awkward family living their daily lives, with the main focus being on the titular character, Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). Napoleon is a high school student who is bullied by almost everyone around him. The exception to this rule is his best friend Pedro (Efren Ramirez), and his eventual girlfriend Deb (Tina Majorino).
The characters often find themselves in uncomfortable situations and often use humor as a method to cope with their circumstances. Many of the gags and jokes made in the movie are still entertaining and funny, but some comments were borderline offensive in 2004 and can be considered even more so today. And while "Napoleon Dynamite" still holds a spot in many fans' hearts, some consider one relationship, in particular, to have aged poorly.
'Yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see.'
In "Napoleon Dynamite," Kipland "Kip" Dynamite (Aaron Ruell) and LaFawnduh Lucas (Shondrella Avery) were star-crossed lovers who met online in a chat forum. The relationship seemed sweet back in 2004, especially considering how inseparable the couple became once they met, but looking back now, we may notice a few things that might send some red flags to modern-day viewers.
First, Kip tells Napoleon that LaFawnduh sent him pictures that only feature her face, but never a full-body photo, and this has him "kind of TO'd." This shouldn't be something that is required in a relationship and they never mention in the film whether or not Kip returns pictures. Kip does mention that he feels as though they are soulmates, and LaFawnduh does marry him, so it seems as though their spark was real, but what initially made her interested in him?
There is also no mention of what he says to LaFawnduh to get her interested in him. At one point, he told her that he was a cage fighter and if he never sent pictures of himself to her, she might have had a different idea of what he looked like. This, along with a few other questionable decisions with Kip's character, arguably makes this relationship one that is better left in 2004.