TV & Movies

Want to meet Napoleon Dynamite? Movie’s stars coming to SLO for a special screening

Break out your “Vote for Pedro” T-shirts.

The stars of “Napoleon Dynamite” are coming to San Luis Obispo for a 15th anniversary screening of the classic indie comedy.

ASI Events and Cal Poly Arts will host a showing of “Napoleon Dynamite” on Feb. 4 at Harold Miossi Hall at the Performing Arts Center, according to a news release.

The movie screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with actors Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) and Efren Ramirez (Pedro), facilitated by ASI president Mark Borges, the release said.

Released in 2004, “Napoleon Dynamite” follows an awkward teen (Heder) in small-town Idaho whose life is turned upside down when his uncle (Gries) comes to visit and a new student (Ramirez) arrives at his school.

The film quickly achieved cult status with its quirky characters, memorable quotes and running jokes about tater tots, tetherball and nunchucks, eventually inspiring an festival in Preston, Idaho, and a bronze statue on the 20th Century Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles.

“Napoleon Dynamite” actors Jon Gries, Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez are coming to the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo on Feb. 4, 2020, for a special screening of the movie.
“Napoleon Dynamite” actors Jon Gries, Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez are coming to the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo on Feb. 4, 2020, for a special screening of the movie. Courtesy photo

Doors open for the “Napoleon Dynamite” event at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4. The movie screening started at 6:30 p.m., directly followed by the Q&A at 8:15 p.m.

The event is free for Cal Poly students with valid ID cards on a first-come, first-served basis, the release said.

Tickets for community members, which go on sale Friday, cost $24 apiece. VIP tickets, which include a post-screening meet-and-greet with the “Napoleon Dynamite” cast members, are available for $50.

To purchase tickets, call the Cal Poly Ticket Office at 805-756-4849 or visit calpolyarts.org.

This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Want to meet Napoleon Dynamite? Movie’s stars coming to SLO for a special screening."

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Sarah Linn
The Tribune
Sarah Linn is an editor and reporter on the West Service Journalism Team, working with journalists in Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno, Merced and San Luis Obispo in California and Bellingham, Olympia and Tri-Cities in Washington, as well as Boise, Idaho. She previously served as the Local/Entertainment Editor of The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, working there for nearly two decades. A graduate of Oregon State University, she has earned multiple California journalism awards.
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