Despite a debt to Wes Anderson that I assumed would turn me off entirely, ND turns out to be almost on par with Rushmore and certainly more entertaining than the self-consciously "New York intellectual" shenanigans of The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic (which I haven't seen but, as always, feel completely confident in passing judgment on). Though there is a definite "quirkiness for its own sake" quality here, the laughs are plentiful, consistent, and above all, joyful. Nothing is over-studied or telegraphed with that wink-wink sensibility that sinks too many indie movies (Ghost World most egregiously … fortunately, this is a wholly different beast). What works best about ND is that it sets up a lot of situations familiar from other movies, but never once goes for the bleak-dark punchline you would expect. The characters all end up winning in one way or another, and that was most inspiring. Jon Heder is so good as the title character that it's almost certain that he'll never work again … with his crazy style and frustrated exclamations of "GOSH!" and "IDIOT!," he hits the mark so entirely that I am surprised to admit that he, and this film, deserve all the hype and praise they've gotten. More than anything, I'm amazed to say that ND made me feel good more than probably any other movie I saw this year.
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