Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez perform during a stop on the “Napoleon Dynamite Live” tour. The trio will bring the show to Warnors Theatre in Downtown Fresno on Oct. 17. Photo courtesy of Napoleon Dynamite Live
The stars of Napoleon Dynamite are bringing the cult comedy to Fresno this fall.
Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), Efren Ramirez (Pedro) and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) will appear at Warnors Theatre on Oct. 17 for “Napoleon Dynamite Live,” a screening of the film paired with what organizers describe as a “lively, freewheeling, interactive experience” with the cast.
The show is more than a screening. According to IndieWire, which covered a 2025 stop in Butte, Montana, the cast performs an original song, takes audience questions from a living room set built to evoke the film and gives away prizes during an improv-heavy Q&A. At the Montana show, Heder rode a bicycle into the auditorium and down a flight of stairs.
The tour grew out of a moderated panel the three actors did in 2018 to mark the film’s 15th anniversary, IndieWire reported. Now in its sixth year, it has evolved into a fully interactive road show.
Efren Ramirez as Pedro and Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite in the 2004 cult comedy Napoleon Dynamite.
“It’s like our version of a vaudeville act,” Ramirez told IndieWire.
The cast has been candid about why they keep going. “People tell us they truly love this film,” Heder told IndieWire. “They grew up on it. With the tour, we get a lot of the same questions, and we’re telling a lot of the same stories — but you have a new audience every time, and that keeps it fresh for us. If this was a cruddy movie we weren’t proud of, it would be a cash grab. But we really love this movie.”
The 2004 coming-of-age comedy was made on a $400,000 budget and grossed more than $46 million worldwide, earning a devoted cult following. Directed by Jared Hess and co-written with his wife, Jerusha Hess, it premiered at Sundance to mixed reviews before finding its audience.
“We had no idea anybody would see this film,” Heder told IndieWire. “It’s become the ultimate case study. You can go from writing a story to casting the right people to making an endearing and enduring film. It’s absolutely doable.”
The movie has Central Valley connections. Aaron Ruell, who played Napoleon’s brother Kip, is a Fresno native and Clovis West High School graduate.
The Oct. 17 show is part of a nationwide tour with stops in Santa Rosa, Detroit, Boston, Ventura and other cities.
Tickets go on presale Wednesday at 10 a.m., with general sale beginning Friday at the same time.