When in Rome
Forgot to mention one thing I did like about Napoleon Dynamite was the use of this song leading into the closing credits.

This just in
When in Rome is also a mangled piece of language featured in Anchorman, which was funny for what it was -- a 90-minute SNL-type sketch with its share of funny moments and poor attempts at humor, not to mention a bunch of excuses to throw in '70s music. (However, I think Matt Damon still beats this cast for the best movie rendition of "Afternoon Delight.")

It does work as a satire of the news business, showing what many of us (including those in the business) perceive local TV news to be, although Salon topped that recently by showing current-day examples of the often lamebrained pomposity of the business.

Steve Carrell's somewhat retarded weatherman is possibly a better example of the business than even Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy. (And to complete the circle, Christina Applegate has graduated from the infamous weatherbunny on Married with Children to the anchor chair, although everyone is still going after her.)

The one thing that both amused and disturbed me was having the current inner circle of male comedic actors (dubbed the Frat Pack by some) decided to converge all at once. Vince Vaughn shows up earlier in the movie, but then all of a sudden there's Luke Wilson (OK, let's complete the Old School connections). Jack Black makes a short appearance, and Tim Robbins hams it up as a PBS news reporter (since John Cusack isn't going to be here, we've finished the High Fidelity string). And since we've got Black, Vaughn, Ferrell and Wilson brother in one movie, obviously Ben Stiller was going to show up -- as a Spanish news reporter. I'm surprised Stiller didn't try to bring in Owen Wilson or Christine Taylor, but then again, it's not really his movie and he's used them already this year.

It was still good fun, given my reasonably low expectations of the movie. I suppose it's sometimes good to know what you're getting into -- you can have a so-so time and still feel satisfied and "stay classy."