Several comic actors play wacky geeks in "When in Rome," and according to one national movie critic, "Jon Heder as a goofy street magician is the funniest of the bunch."

That comes from A.O. Scott in last Friday's New York Times review. And it may be faint praise in the context of this truly awful farce, especially since the rest of "the bunch" — Dax Shepard, Will Arnett and Danny DeVito — are so decidedly unfunny.

But it's nice to see Heder being singled out for a decent notice in the Newspaper of Record. Especially since, if you've only seen the trailer, you might not even realize Heder is in the movie.

The actor is, of course, a local favorite, thanks to "Napoleon Dynamite," which was co-written and directed by Salt Lake resident Jared Hess, and which in 2004 became one of the biggest hits to come out of that annual party in our own backyard, the Sundance Film Festival.

It was Heder's first feature film, immediately providing him with the kind of breakout role that actors who've been laboring in movies for decades would kill for.

Heder is also a local favorite because he's a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a rare commodity in Hollywood. In fact, a few years ago, he told USA Today, with a bit of chagrin, that he sometimes feels like an unofficial "ambassador" for Mormons because of his high profile.

via MormonTimes – 'Napoleon Dynamite' still defines Jon Heder's career.

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