(Four stars)

QUIRKY and original, this is the perfect antidote to all those cheesy American high school movies polluting our multiplexes.

It's shot on a low budget and doesn't have any silicone-enhanced A-List stars, which is probably why it only got a limited cinema release.

But what it lacks in glamour, it more than makes up for in dry wit, kooky originality and off-the-wall hilarity.

Napoleon (Jon Heder) is a new kind of hero, with his tight red Afro, moon boots and thick rimmed glasses.

He spends his days drawing mythical beasts, ridiculing his 32-year-old brother Kip and repelling his evil Uncle Rico.

When two new friends come into his life - Mexican Pedro and shy Deb - the trio launch a campaign to have Pedro elected as class president.

However, if moustachioed Pedro is to beat class babe Summer, Napoleon will have to unleash his secret weapon.

Napoleon is certainly no clich lonely nerd who just wants to be loved - he's not even a particularly likeable character. But by the end of the film, he had somehow won me round.

This is a gem of a film and I urge anyone tired of the tried and tested American teen movie flick-formula to give it a go.

EB