This often-amusing exercise in geek chic garnered a cult
following, especially among teens, possibly because they found its portrait of a high-school nerd (Jon Heder) reassuring: they could never be as cluelessly dorky as the title character. Heder’s commitment to the role – he makes being a loser a form of rebellion – goes a long way towards keeping things from being mean-spirited, even if it leads to some Revenge of the Nerds uplift at the end that rings false.
