Peluca (2003) User Reviews

A funny pre-"Napoleon Dynamite" short

[Beta_Gallinger · 7/10 · 22 June 2008]

Not long before filmmaker Jared Hess made his feature-length debut with the polarizing teen comedy, "Napoleon Dynamite", he started his film career by making this very similar short, "Peluca", which, like its successor, features Jon Heder, who was yet to become very famous, in the starring role. As a fan of the movie that followed, I've seen this short more than once in the bonus features of the Special Edition DVD. While I would say "Napoleon Dynamite" is the superior of the two, "Peluca" definitely comes close to it in terms of quality.

The main character here is Seth, a geeky teenager who is pretty much just like Napoleon Dynamite. He's not very popular at school, but is friends with two Mexican students, Pedro and Giel. During lunch break, while Seth is at the table in the cafeteria with Pedro and Giel, Giel (who is like Pedro Sanchez in "Napoleon Dynamite") has his hood over his head. This is because he was recently feeling too hot, and shaved his head to cool off, but now he doesn't want to be seen without any hair. The three of them agree to ditch their next class and go shopping, so Seth can buy a fanny pack and Giel can get a wig, but can they get enough money to do so?

Quite a few things in this short are also featured in "Napoleon Dynamite", including the way it begins. If you've seen ND, I'm sure one part of my plot description sounds familiar. However, there are also some things that did not end up being repeated in this short film's successor, but are still funny. One difference between "Peluca" and ND is that this short film is in black and white and the picture isn't quite perfect, obviously due to the very low budget. However, despite that, I certainly do recommend this pre-"Napoleon Dynamite" short for fans of the movie. If you like the style of humour in Jared Hess' feature-length debut, you can see more of the same in this film.

How did Napolean Dymamite come from this?

[jfenton · 5/10 · 23 December 2004]

I have seen Napolean Dynamite a good 6 times, and just finally saw "Peluca". Don't let the die-hards fool you - this thing is a mess. It shows promise and Hess is about as good as he is in "Dynamite", but the cinematography is awful, the "Gosh!" and "Idiot!"s are way overused.. I can't believe they got the green light to make a major motion picture based on this.

Again, that said, I love Napolean Dynamite, and am glad they re-cast the character of Pedro, among others. It just wouldn't have worked the way they originally set out.

It's on side 1 of the DVD if you want to check it out.

Odd

[pittoop · 3/10 · 29 July 2005]

This is pretty weird. It's like another version of Napoleon Dynamite. And there are different actors playing the same characters. And also the picture quality's not clear and it's in black and white. It's pretty weird. This is a video of what Jon Heder took when he was in Film School. It looks more like a sneaky video if it's in black and white. This is okay but unusual though. And 9 minutes does seem like enough time for this clip-like movie. It looks like it should only be sold for $3.00 or I prefer to say $1.00! And it's a weird name too for this movie. Peluca. It sounds like some Spanish word! But if you like really odd movies, you can see this one. But... watch the original Napoleon Dynamite first. Then you'll see what I mean. You'll like Napoleon Dynamite better than this cheap stuff. I certainly do.

A work of genius!

[the_shark15 · 10/10 · 19 May 2004]

A hilarious short piece about a wacky kid and his adventures in trying to help his friends out. The humor isn't corny and it's not even smart, but it makes you laugh nonetheless.

A fantastic story, with great acting from the lead. One of his Hispanic buddies understands English yet only says two words NOT in Spanish the entire time (if you understand Spanish these parts are even funnier).

The cinematography/editing looks professional -- it's hard to believe that the graininess and such is a mistake, because it adds to the feeling of dullness in a small, rural Idaho town.

A must-see!

I see the origin of N.D. in this, but I've gotta say, WHAT THE FLIP WAS *THIS* ABOUT?

[Jtbone3141 · 2/10 · 7 August 2005]

I've seen Napoleon Dynamite lots of times, and finally learned where I could see Peluca. So I checked it out. I mean, I can see where they got the idea for Napoleon Dynamite for this. Same personality in each character, just different names. Also, the whole "Pedro shaving his head" thing and Napoleon throwing that toy out the window and making it jump around and all. But I must say, Jared Hess must have gone from desperation to domination. Also, maybe if this was longer and had more detail in what Seth, Gayle and Pedro, maybe, just maybe, I'd like it better, despite it being in b/w. The Defiant Ones, was in b/w, yet still a great movie, the same for Schindler's List, but if you watched it in a different DeLuxe format, it could be in color.

Word-up to all Aspiring Actors and Directors:

[imdb-6241 · 10/10 · 17 April 2005]

I gave this short film a 10 for a very specific reason: This film became a springboard for both the Writer/Director and the Lead Actor. The fact that this film cost 2 days and $500 makes it quite fantastic that the careers of at least two young men have been assured.

As many already know, this is the short which Jered Hess and Jon Heder made in Preston, Idaho...detailing what amounts to a day-in-the-life of a smalltown nerd. Heder's character development of what would become Napoleon Dynamite (Seth, in this film) is obviously undercooked, but the ingredients are all there, and it tastes just as sweet. Think "Cookie Dough".

In the Director's Commentary, Hess admits to messing up the exposure which shows itself in most of the outdoor shots, and while it's a little distracting, overall it almost lends a kind of "low-rent" charm which you quickly get used to.

9 minutes of quirky angst, and you can't help but grin throughout. Film "quality" issues aside, and keeping in mind this is basically a "student film" in regards to writing and character dev, and it's really just very cool that the small amount of effort which was undertaken could blossom into a Feature Film deal and an underground hit.

Word-up to all aspiring actors and directors: All you need is 2 days, $500 bux, a quirky idea, some basic film skills, some ninja skills, an interesting character, and a belief in yourself and you too can give up your day job and move to Los Angeles for an exciting career in the Movies!

...which beats a decroded piece of crap anyday!

The shape of things to come

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 16 July 2015]

"Peluca" is a 9-minute short film from 12 years ago and it was the precursor film for "Napoleon Dynamite", which was done a year later. Writer and director is Jared Hess and the lead actor is Jon Heder. Both of course returned for "Napoleon Dynamite". I have to say I had no idea what a peluca was, but after googling the word, now it makes sense. It sounded like some Serbian city to me at first. However, I have to say I found this black-and-white film fairly forgettable unfortunately. Then again I am not the greatest "Napoleon Dynamite" fan either. So if you liked the feature film, this one probably deserves a chance, even if I personally found it more weird than funny although these two terms probably go pretty close in all the humor that has to do with the title character. Still I have no interest to watch it again, underwhelming effort by Hess here.

Napoleon Precursor Doesn't Cut It

[CitizenCaine · 3/10 · 23 November 2008]

This short film is obviously a precursor to what became the independent feature film Napoleon Dynamite. Jon Heder is a character named Seth instead of Napoleon. He's still the same Uber-geek thinking he's a cool kid. Sarah Barton is the girl, playing a similar role to the one she had in Napoleon. Director Jared Hess parlayed this film into a pitch for Napoleon Dynamite on the festival circuit and the resulting film followed a year later. However, viewers should be warned that this is a very rough draft as they say. The scene on the school bus is repeated almost verbatim in the actual film a year later. All the actors were fellow residents of Preston, Idaho except Heder. * of 4 stars.

Winner!

[klh_skyenet · 9/10 · 17 November 2006]

I saw "Peluca" after becoming an ardent fan of "Napoleon Dynamite" so this may not be the most objective review ever written.

That being said, I thought this short had just as much heart and the essence of the feature film; although, I did miss Uncle Rico, Kip and the rest of the cast. I liked the rough or grainy look of the film (even if it was an unintentional effect) because it added to the "feel" of the film.

I don't think the film depicts the characters as dorks or losers, instead it seems to portray Seth as a selfless, good-hearted and true friend. After all, he didn't buy the much coveted fanny pack for himself, instead he chose to buy the wig to help out his friend.

"Peluca" and "Napoleon Dynamite" could have easily been made into mean-spirited films with the main objective being to make fun of the less popular kids. Instead the movie seems to point out the good qualities of Seth and his friends, making them cool in their own way! It's a fun, feel good film.

Peluca and Nepolian Dynamite

[jacktheubsguy · 8/10 · 9 August 2005]

Here is a pretty little guide to comparing Peluca to Nepolian Dynamite. Some say that the two have nothing in common, so I'm here to compare and contrast. Peluca has the guy named Gale, who gets the medieval warrior wig. Gale looks more like the Pedro from Nepolian, although Pedro in Peluca is a different looking dude. Also, Seth's obsession with fanny packs is not shared with Nepolian. As for "gosh" and "idiot" being "overused", this is the movie where Nepolian was invented, so wouldn't it be "gosh" and "idiot" was underused in Nepolian? There was also a scene where Seth tries to buy a Lotto ticket, but couldn't get it because he's underage. They send Gale in and he gets the ticket thanks to his mustache. The same scene was in Nepolian Dynamite, but was deleted (you can see it on side 2 of the DVD). So do you still think Peluca and Nepolian are completely different? That's what I thought.

Vote for Pedro

Stark and Humorless and Hilarioius

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 22 April 2019]

This is a slice of life thing with the people from Napoleon Dynamite. The whole thing is to be as bland and autistic as possible as these guys maneuver their ways through a day in and out of school. There is some really clever stuff. Despite being on a nearly empty bus, the main character goes to the back and sits next to some kids half his age. Good work.