(Note: I suppose I should start by giving credit where it is due. ESPN's Bill Simmons brought this up on a recent podcast of his with Chris Connelly, but I thought it was important to take this question to the masses. That is what prompted the "Fill in the Blank..." status update on facebook and the following opinion.)
What company did it launch? It made Fox Searchlight pictures a viable production company. Just look at the production company's track record prior to ND: in the 90's Fox Searchlight made a total of 10 films and their most notable movie of this decade before ND was either Bend it Like Beckham or Super Troopers. After the release of ND, Fox Searchlight may have become the decades most productive production company. Check out this list of movies they released since ND came out: Sideways, Thank You For Smoking, Little Miss Sunshine, The Last King of Scotland, Juno, The Wrestler, and Slumdog Millionaire. Between these 7 films, Fox Searchlight was honored with 25 Oscar nominations which resulted in winning 13 Oscars! This may have happened without the resounding success of ND, but it isn't likely.
It is the end of the decade. You may be scratching your head in disbelief, but its true. We are in
the last year of the 00's (BTW: what are we officially calling this decade?). What does this mean exactly? Well, besides the inevitable, yet exciting news that we only have to wait a few more years to get VH1's "I Love the 00's", it means we get to start discussing the "bests" of the last 10 years and where is a better starting place than with the most iconic movie of the decade? There were some good suggestions like Lord of War, No Country for Old Men, and Snakes on a Plane (my favorite suggestion and one hell of a cinematic feat). Nonetheless, it seemed like the winner was The Dark Knight. Coincidentally, this was the movie the Bill Simmons suggested in his podcast. I would be ok with that one, but ultimately, I think it is missing some of the best things movies of this decade had to offer. Let me offer a suggestion...
the last year of the 00's (BTW: what are we officially calling this decade?). What does this mean exactly? Well, besides the inevitable, yet exciting news that we only have to wait a few more years to get VH1's "I Love the 00's", it means we get to start discussing the "bests" of the last 10 years and where is a better starting place than with the most iconic movie of the decade? There were some good suggestions like Lord of War, No Country for Old Men, and Snakes on a Plane (my favorite suggestion and one hell of a cinematic feat). Nonetheless, it seemed like the winner was The Dark Knight. Coincidentally, this was the movie the Bill Simmons suggested in his podcast. I would be ok with that one, but ultimately, I think it is missing some of the best things movies of this decade had to offer. Let me offer a suggestion...At the end of the day, I think this last decade will be known for the explosion of indie films. Go to http://www.apple.com/trailers/ and check out all of the trailers that are currently posted for indie films. Keep in mind we are in the middle of the summer, AKA the most crucial time for big 
production companies and their blockbusters, yet there are plenty of indie films on a mainstream trailer website. Think about how many times you remember a movie advertising that it faired well at the Sundance, Cannes, or Tribeca film festivals in the 90's. Can you even name an indie movie from the 90's? The most notable ones are Reservoir Dogs which only made $2.8 million at the box office (and it cost $1.2 million to make) and only gained steam after Pulp Fiction made Quentin Tarantino a superstar and The Blair Witch Project which was actually bought and distributed by a big production company (Artisan Entertainment).
production companies and their blockbusters, yet there are plenty of indie films on a mainstream trailer website. Think about how many times you remember a movie advertising that it faired well at the Sundance, Cannes, or Tribeca film festivals in the 90's. Can you even name an indie movie from the 90's? The most notable ones are Reservoir Dogs which only made $2.8 million at the box office (and it cost $1.2 million to make) and only gained steam after Pulp Fiction made Quentin Tarantino a superstar and The Blair Witch Project which was actually bought and distributed by a big production company (Artisan Entertainment).So if this has been the decade of indie films, which was the most important and the most iconic? I think it is Napoleon Dynamite (ND). That may seem crazy, but hear me out. ND was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in June of 2004 (this is before any of the other big name indie films were released this decade) and it became a phenomenon. During the following Academy Awards, ND was still being hailed as one of the biggest cultural events of the last year. It wasn't nominated for anything, but when Jon Heder (the actor who played Napoleon) made an appearance, electricity entered the room. Other presenters made jokes about it. Simply put, it was not "just another movie" to the viewers or people in the industry. In fact, it set quite a precedent and launched one of the most important movie companies of the decade.
What was the precedent it set? It let the average movie goer know that indie films could be 
enjoyable and relevant. Other indie films that followed enjoyed a path of success that had been cleared in the most significant ways by ND, which made over $46 million. Each year since ND at least one indie film has grossed over $100 million (the arbitrary dollar amount the makes something a blockbuster). In 2005 Brokeback Mountain made over $178 million (Note: Coincidentally this indie film set the table for Heath Ledger to win an Oscar for an iconic performance in The Dark Knight. Sorry, but it wasn't his stellar work in The Brothers Grimm, A Knight's Tale, or 10 Things I Hate About You). In 2006 Little Miss Sunshine brought in over $100 million. In 2007 Juno hauled in a whopping $231,411,584, which is dwarfed by the $360,032,690 Slumdog Millionaire made in 2008. I doubt these films experience the same success without the trailblazing done by ND.
enjoyable and relevant. Other indie films that followed enjoyed a path of success that had been cleared in the most significant ways by ND, which made over $46 million. Each year since ND at least one indie film has grossed over $100 million (the arbitrary dollar amount the makes something a blockbuster). In 2005 Brokeback Mountain made over $178 million (Note: Coincidentally this indie film set the table for Heath Ledger to win an Oscar for an iconic performance in The Dark Knight. Sorry, but it wasn't his stellar work in The Brothers Grimm, A Knight's Tale, or 10 Things I Hate About You). In 2006 Little Miss Sunshine brought in over $100 million. In 2007 Juno hauled in a whopping $231,411,584, which is dwarfed by the $360,032,690 Slumdog Millionaire made in 2008. I doubt these films experience the same success without the trailblazing done by ND. 
What company did it launch? It made Fox Searchlight pictures a viable production company. Just look at the production company's track record prior to ND: in the 90's Fox Searchlight made a total of 10 films and their most notable movie of this decade before ND was either Bend it Like Beckham or Super Troopers. After the release of ND, Fox Searchlight may have become the decades most productive production company. Check out this list of movies they released since ND came out: Sideways, Thank You For Smoking, Little Miss Sunshine, The Last King of Scotland, Juno, The Wrestler, and Slumdog Millionaire. Between these 7 films, Fox Searchlight was honored with 25 Oscar nominations which resulted in winning 13 Oscars! This may have happened without the resounding success of ND, but it isn't likely.
Not only is ND a well done movie that gets funnier and more pertinent to your life each time you watch it, but it was a ridiculously influential film when you see what indie films accomplished after it's release. I think the success of ND was the result of a perfect storm. It was a light hearted movie that didn't take itself seriously, which contributed to its ability to break down some of those walls between average movie goers and indie films. In addition to the pure comedy of ND, it paved the way for a movement that was unique to this decade and to me, that makes it the iconic movie of the 00's.
