Tapawingo (2023) Movie Review: Oddball Comedy is a Tedious, Humorless Affair

Share it

Few comedies nail deadpan hilarity like Jared Hess’ “Napoleon Dynamite,” which boasts a terrific lead in Jon Heder, who brings a peculiar charm to the table. This coming-of-age foray into geekhood is genuinely hilarious, and it wears its oddball charm like a perfectly-fitted glove. Dylan K. Narang’s “Tapawingo” feels like an uninspired follow-up to Hess’ cult film, with Heder taking on the mantle of a derivative lead that tries too hard to emulate Dynamite’s endearingly awkward quirks. There’s a playfulness to its premise, but the film’s utter inability to be funny transforms its absurdist tendencies into ones that leave you feeling thoroughly disconnected.

Heder plays Nate Skoog, a listless mail-room worker who lives with his mother, Ramona (Amanda Bearse). Nate’s life is as mundane as it gets, but he doesn’t seem particularly bothered by it — if anything, he’s happy to daydream about being a mercenary with his best friend, Will Luna (Jay Pichardo). When Nate’s boss tempts him with a promotion while asking him to act as chauffeur for his son, Oswalt (Sawyer Williams), he unenthusiastically agrees. Once Nate begins to drop Oswalt off at home after school, he finds himself in great trouble after protecting the kid from a group of bullies, who happen to belong to the notorious Tarwater family.

There’s a semblance of charm to the film’s small-town setting, but this expectation is quickly dismantled with a cast of characters who are either too annoying or unmemorable for their own good. The sole exception is Gina Gershon’s Dot, whose presence imbues the film with an edgy spark that is allowed to fizzle out sooner than it should have.

Even solid performances, courtesy of Kim Matula and Billy Zane (!), feel blunt within the ambit of the story, which decides to amble on for far too long. Whenever Nate shares the screen with Matula’s Gretchen, their unlikely romance allows “Tapawingo” to gain some footing, but that too is squandered due to the film’s meandering tone.

Tapawingo (2023) — A still from “Tapawingo” (2023)

A lack of wit or humor can always be compensated for with heart, but “Tapawingo” also lacks the sincerity required to pull off its supposed zany humor. The only glimpse of this is when Nate accompanies Oswalt everywhere, even willing to face off against a vicious attack dog to protect the child from harm.

Even within the film’s eccentric framework, there’s little depth to Nate and his friends, who lack any kind of interiority when thrust into more serious situations. At one point, Nate’s buddy Will feels betrayed by his friend’s inability to protect him, but this scene doesn’t tug at the heartstrings, as we’re barely allowed to know Will beyond his nonsensical shenanigans.

“Tapawingo” commits its worst offense by being consistently tedious, where it embraces its hollowness instead of lampooning or poking fun at it. A self-aware comedy it is not, as it confuses its tacked-on weirdness as a substantial replacement for artistic identity or personality. If you’re in the mood for nostalgic humor that belongs to the days of yore, it’s best to rewatch “Napoleon Dynamite” instead of an insufferable non-sequel that tries too hard to ape its central influence.