The Quiet Comedy Powerhouse Behind “Napoleon Dynamite”

November 20th, 2025

Most movie fans know the line, “Napoleon, gimme some of your tots,” even if they’ve never heard the name Jerusha Hess. But the Omaha-born screenwriter is one half of the creative team responsible for turning Napoleon Dynamite into one of the most unlikely comedy hits in film history.

Jerusha and her husband, Jared Hess, wrote the film together in 2003 on a production budget of just $400,000. The quirky comedy, packed with unforgettable characters and endlessly quotable lines, went on to earn an estimated $189 million in box office and DVD sales. Whether audiences loved its offbeat humor or didn’t quite know what to make of it, the film became a cultural landmark and established the Hesses as a go-to duo for box office comedy.

Their collaborative success continued with Nacho Libre, the film adaptation of Austenland, and more recently, Jared’s work directing A Minecraft Movie. The pair also earned an Academy Award nomination for their animated short Ninety-five Senses, further cementing their creative versatility.

Recently, writer and filmmaker Christine Burright met the Hesses at the Rome International Film Festival in Georgia. Four years ago, the festival created the Flannery O’Connor Award for Storytelling, with each year’s recipient selecting the next. Actor Tim Blake Nelson, the 2024 honoree, chose Jerusha Hess as the award recipient for 2025.

The festival honored her with a screening of Napoleon Dynamite and a panel discussion. During the conversation, the Hesses shared little-known stories about the making of the film, including how much of the dialogue came directly from the behavior and one-liners of their own siblings. According to Jerusha, their parents were slightly unsettled when they realized their family’s quirks had made it onto the big screen.

Because of a tight budget and a demanding production schedule, the film was shot almost exactly as it was written, leaving no room for improvisation. The only exception is the movie’s most iconic moment: Napoleon’s dance at the school assembly. Actor Jon Heder made up the dance on the spot, and the team captured it on the very last roll of film they had.

Another fun detail came from Jerusha herself. The now-famous “Vote for Pedro” shirt Napoleon wears in the dance scene was handmade by her the night before they filmed. She surprised Jared with it the next morning, not knowing it would become a pop culture icon.

For those who want to revisit the film or watch it for the first time, Napoleon Dynamite is available on multiple streaming platforms. Whether you watch for nostalgia or to catch details you may have missed, you’ll walk away with at least one quotable gem, like Napoleon’s classic line about skills: “Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.”