Jared Lawrence Hess (born July 18, 1979) and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess (née Demke; born May 12, 1980) are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and Nacho Libre (2006), both of which they co-wrote and directed (Nacho Libre was co-written with Mike White). They also produced the video for The Postal Service's third single, "We Will Become Silhouettes". Description above from the Wikipedia article Jared and Jerusha Hess, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 12, 1980 (46)
- Olathe, Kansas, USA
- Writer, director and producer
- 7 on Motif · 9 credits in all
What are Jerusha Hess' films like?
Across their 7 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3
Light 6 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
Gentle 5 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 6 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 5
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1
Casual 5 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jerusha Hess' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 7 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Jerusha Hess' titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
9 credits, 7 with a Motif page.
Thelma the Unicorn(2024)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Ninety-Five Senses (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)
Don Verdean(2015)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Austenland(2013)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Napoleon Dynamite(2012)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
Gentlemen Broncos(2009)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Nacho Libre(2006)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Napoleon Dynamite(2004)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Cardboard Only (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 2001 to 2024.
Biggest box office
Nacho Libre (2006)
Highest rated
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Most popular right now
Nacho Libre (2006)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Jerusha Hess' films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 7 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 37/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Jerusha Hess' work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Jerusha Hess work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jerusha Hess' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jared Hess shares the most, 7.
Directors
- Jared HessShared titles: Thelma the Unicorn (2024), Don Verdean (2015), Austenland (2013), Napoleon Dynamite (2012), Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Nacho Libre (2006), Napoleon Dynamite (2004)See all 7 shared titles with Jared Hess
Actors
- Jemaine ClementShared titles: Thelma the Unicorn (2024), Don Verdean (2015), Gentlemen Broncos (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Jemaine Clement
- Jon HederShared titles: Thelma the Unicorn (2024), Napoleon Dynamite (2012), Napoleon Dynamite (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Jon Heder
- Will ForteShared titles: Thelma the Unicorn (2024), Don Verdean (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Will Forte
- Sam RockwellShared titles: Don Verdean (2015), Gentlemen Broncos (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Sam Rockwell
Composers and cinematographers
- Ilan EshkeriShared titles: Don Verdean (2015), Austenland (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Ilan Eshkeri
- Munn PowellShared titles: Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Napoleon Dynamite (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Munn Powell
Producers
- Chris WyattShared titles: Napoleon Dynamite (2012), Napoleon Dynamite (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Chris Wyatt
- Jeremy CoonShared titles: Napoleon Dynamite (2012), Napoleon Dynamite (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Jeremy Coon
- Sean CovelShared titles: Napoleon Dynamite (2012), Napoleon Dynamite (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Sean Covel
- Ben LeClairShared titles: Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Nacho Libre (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Ben LeClair
