In spite of the grim events described above, the film has the typical tongue-in-cheek humor and cultural insight that characterize the work of Sherman Alexie, who wrote the screenplay. It is filled with quirky individuals (a woman who only drives her car backwards; Thomas, who insists on wearing a dark suit and vest everywhere) and underplayed one-liners: the reservation radio announcer stating that it's "a good day to be indigenous"; Victor telling Thomas that he needs to stop smiling and look "stoic" if he wants to be a real Indian; the suggestion that Victor and Thomas will need a passport to the United States when they leave the reservation; and "the only thing more pathetic than watching Indians on TV is Indians watching Indians on TV."

Nevertheless, there are serious threads that run throughout, such as the tragedy of reservation alcoholism, the long-range effects of parental desertion, and the power of imagination and story -- Thomas is a born storyteller who has a tale for every occasion, telling "both truth and lies." Thomas tells stories about Victor's father that give the father dignity and worth -- traits that ultimately turn out to be "true." Thomas is naïve, nerdy, and unworldly -- even otherworldly -- but he is also kind and generous and combats Victor's cynicism and disillusionment. As the film ends, Thomas is heard in voiceover: "How do we forgive our fathers? . . . If we forgive our fathers, what is left?" A striking and profound observation indeed.