The scene is set in the school cafeteria. Napoleon and Pedro are having lunch together when Napolean asks, “Are you going to eat your tots?” Pedro replies, “No,” so Napolean stuffs them into his pants pocket. A short time later in class, bad boy Randy asks Napolean for some of his tots. Napoleon refuses. Randy slams his foot into Napoleon’s pocket, crushing the tots.

Now, two decades since “Napolean Dynamite” made its Sundance debut right here in Park City, the seemingly innocuous film produced for less than a half-million dollars has remained a cultural classic.

The movie was the brainchild of BYU film students, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and starring Jon Heder. From the unusual matchup of Napolean and Pedro, the sleaziness of Uncle Rico, to the uncomfortable brother Kip and his mail order “arriving by bus” girlfriend, LaFawnduh, the movie has you on the edge of your seat just anticipating the weirdness of the next scene.

Preston is a quiet town of around 5,000 just over the Idaho state line, situated on the Bear River. The movie was filmed there in 2001. Since then, fans of the cult classic have made the pilgrimage to see the backdrop of their favorite scenes.

In many ways, Preston has that “Leave it to Beaver” feel, its streets a neat little gridwork with mid-century homes and neatly mowed lawns. Driving down 2nd East, we watched the street numbers carefully in search of Pedro’s house. There it was, the cream-colored stucco with a red tiled roof.

Driving by, I could literally feel the pain in my midsection thinking about Napolean riding Pedro’s Sledgehammer bike with the shocks and rear posts onto a makeshift ramp as the wood collapses on the brick supports and Napolean takes one on the top tube.

Ouch.

I’ll admit there was a bit of sadness driving into the tetherball court, reminiscing on the ball smacking Napolean on his horn-rimmed glasses. The court is still there, but alas, no tetherball.

Napolean’s red brick home is out a few miles on an old country road. Imagine, if you can, Napoleon pedaling his old road bike with the dropdown handlebars pulling older brother Kip on his inline skates.

Or Kip and Uncle Rico eating ribeyes on the front step when Rico grabs one, flinging it frisbee-style to hit Napolean on the Sledgehammer with Pedro riding the rear posts. Then there was the scene with Napolean carrying a plate of food out to grandma’s llama, “Tina, you fat lard, come get some DINNER!”

Driving around Preston was a bit like following the Hollywood maps to drive past homes of the stars in Bel Air. You felt like a stalker driving down the street. “Hey, people are going to wonder about us.” But then you see the houses and they are literally exactly the same as when this ragtag group of young actors and visionaries created truly one of the most legendary films of our time.

What we did not find was a museum. But driving out of town into the Cache Valley to the south, we stopped in Richmond, Utah, at J’s Burgers where a mini museum documented that memorable time over two decades ago that Napolean came to town.

There are thousands of life messages lurking in the craziness of “Napolean Dynamite.” Driving around tidy little Preston brought them rushing back.

“Ligers are pretty much my favorite animal.”

“Do the chickens have large talons?”

And always remember: “Vote for Pedro.” Pedro had skills.

DETAILS

Getting There: Plan on two and a half hours, heading up I-15 to U.S. 89, through Logan and on up into Idaho. Add another hour if you care to add in Bear Lake.

Before Going: Watch the movie! You can rent it on most channels including Hulu, YouTube, Google Play and more.

Dining: Definitely make a stop at J’s Burgers in Richmond, just south of Preston. There’s also a J’s in Preston, but the movie scenes were shot in Richmond. It’s a great burger joint and it has a nicely curated collection of memorabilia from the shot there over 20 years ago.