Nacho Libre - Review

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Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Release Date: 2006-06-16

Starring: Jack Black, Héctor Jiménez, Efren Ramirez, Troy Gentile (Young Nacho), Carla Jimenez, Dominick Kurek, Ana de la Reguera

Directed by Jared Hess

Produced by Jack Black, David Klawans, Julia Pistor, Mike White

Written by Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, Mike White

Visit the movie's Official Site!

Reviewed by Josh Tyler : 2006-06-17 00:07:48

After toning it down and reigning himself in for King Kong, it was time for Jack Black to really let go again. Nacho Libre is the perfect venue for it, a film constructed around Jack’s ability to simply go crazy on screen, punctuated by the uncomfortable pauses and oddly placed silences familiar to anyone who saw director Jared Hess’s last film Napoleon Dynamite. But unlike Napoleon, Nacho has a legitimately talented comedic actor and a sympathetic character you can actually root for, instead of feeling slightly guilty for laughing at him.

It starts with an orphan named Ignacio (Jack Black). Though raised in a poverty-stricken Mexican monastery, Ignacio has always been more interested in Luchadors than Jesus. Luchadors are the flamboyant Mexican version of wrestlers. They compete in an over-the-top sport called Lucha Libre, and south of the border they’re heroes. Ignacio grows up, and since he’s raised by monks he has little choice but to become a monk himself. But the brothers know he doesn’t know that much about the holy stuff, and relegate him to being the monastery’s cook and go-to guy for giving last rites. Ignacio loves the orphans he cares for at his monastery, but hates life as a servant of the Lord. Though it’s a sin, he still dreams of becoming a Luchador, and fantasizes about a life filled with expensive clothes and fresh ingredients for his beloved orphan’s food.

One day, Ignacio gets fed up and steps into the ring. He recruits a dirty street thief named Esquelto (Héctor Jiménez) as his tag team partner, and together they join the ranks of their small town’s amateur wrestlers. Luckily for them, you don’t have to win to get paid. By night Ignacio is the spectacularly unsuccessful masked wrestler Nacho, by day he’s a not-as-humble-as-he-ought-to-be priest with an unfulfillable crush on his monastery’s new, hot nun (Ana de la Reguera). Numb to the possibility of eternal damnation, Nacho tries to make a move, but the best he can muster is an awkward offer of late-night toast. At least it’s good toast.

The real thrust of the story is Ignacio’s struggle within himself to be something more than a monk scrounging for slop to feed his orphans in the back alleys of Mexico. He’s not satisfied with just that God stuff, and the strength of the script is in watching him figure out what’s really important. Not that it’s all that serious. Nacho Libre is a crooked smile from beginning to finish. The best laughs smack you upside the head when you least expect it. Hess has a real talent for leading his audience in one direction, while he prepares a joke to blindside you from the other. Nacho Libre is understated when you’d expect it to be outlandish, and outlandish when you’d most expect it to be understated.

Ok, maybe Nacho Libre’s not exactly treading new ground; this is after all, basically a wrestling comedy. The story follows a pretty simple underdog theme, it’s only the details around that basic rooting for the little guy path that make it different. For instance this wouldn’t have worked nearly as well in an American setting with the WWE as a backdrop. Mexico itself is a grimy, hot, poverty stricken character in the film and the desperate need for some sort of hope among the people is almost palpable. Almost as if to compensate for Jack’s Caucasian-ness, the film is not only shot in Mexico, most of the cast and crew Mexican too.

What it comes down to is that Nacho Libre is every bit as funny as the trailers might lead you to believe. If you didn’t laugh at the advertisements, well then this type of humor just isn’t for you. Skip it. Some types of comedy aren’t for everyone and Nacho Libre is probably going to be a love it or hate it affair. Believe it or not, some people still don’t get Monty Python. For those whose sensibilities do match up with this; fat, mustachioed Nacho may not be much of a hero but mixing the wild style of Jack Black with the comedic hesitancy of Hess results in a picture all at once funny, sweet, and surprising. It’ll live up (or down) to whatever you expect.

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Note: This website is not intended for use by minors. The views expressed in this comments section are not necessarily our own. Comments that we deem to be poorly worded, off topic, or threatening will not be published. For free, uncensored discussion visit our forum.

...ok Says:
June 14th, 2006 at 22:19
You like movies like Nacho Libre and Monty Python, yet hate scary movie... you seriously are one of the worst movie critics ever.

Phil Says:
June 15th, 2006 at 09:11
I wasn't aware that Scary Movie was the measuring stick by which all film critics are measured.

Thanks for your polite and insightful... no I guess we didn't get any of that from " ok".

What a bitter little commenter he is. Why so desperate for someone to validate your opinion of Scary Movie "Ok"? Can't other people have their own opinions?

Good review Josh I'll check Nacho out this weekend.

Troy Says:
June 15th, 2006 at 18:41
Good review, I would agree with most of it. I got to see this movie at a special screening in Austin and really enjoyed it, it met all my expectations and exceeded some based on the commercials.

I seem to remember laughing at Scary Movie when I saw it on DVD but I wouldn't call it great.

I'm a little biased because I like Jack Black.

Kobe Says:
June 16th, 2006 at 11:41
I just watched this movie last night, at the special screening.. again like Troy it met my expectatations. It is everything u expect from Jack Black.
The story is kind of usual, but Jack is awsome.. I would recommend it.

...ok Says:
June 16th, 2006 at 22:16
Funny, I wasn't directing that at you Phil... Nor did I say ANYWHERE that scary movie should be used as a "measuring stick."

... You kids and your stupid assumptions. Just stick to your little suck-up routine and disregard those comments that have nothing to do with you :)

Josh Says:
June 16th, 2006 at 22:19
Lovely world view you have there "...ok". Anyone who doesn't agree with you is either the "worst ever" or a "suck up".

It's good to be the king I guess.

I suspect however, that your castle is pretty small.

Rather than sniping at people for no reason, try just discussing the movie.

brad Says:
June 17th, 2006 at 00:05
I liked it alot. Jack Black was great, and who sais that monty python isn't funny?

Josh Says:
June 17th, 2006 at 00:06
A lot of people just don't get British humor at all Brad, let alone Monty Python. I'll never understand how anyone can watch Holy Grail and go "ugh" myself, but it does happen more often than you'd expect.

that girl Says:
June 18th, 2006 at 14:16
Josh, I almost always agree with every word that's in your reviews. I know that if you like/recommend a movie in your review, I will probably like it, or not like it, just as much. That's been true about every movie since September when you had the only sane review of "A History Of Violence" and it's true about Nacho Libre as well. Keep up the good work.

Josh Says:
June 18th, 2006 at 14:17
Thanks "that girl". I'm certainly in the minority on History of Violence. But at least I'm not alone!

dave Says:
July 1st, 2008 at 23:58
This is, without a doubt, the worst movie I have ever seen. And I'm not being biased. I like Jack Black a lot, and enjoyed almost all of his movies, excluding Orange County, but really. This is the worst movie I've ever seen. It was excruciatingly boring throughout. At least twice as boring as Napolean Dynamite. I really wanted to leave the theater several times, but I'm not the type of person to leave early. I always stay the entire way through, just to see if it gets any better. But this one didn't. It way absolutely unentertaining all the way through, and if I could ever have three wishes from a magic genie or whatever, one of them would be that I had never decided to go see this. The story never went anywhere, and there was not even one highlight scene. There was no excitement whatsoever, and never even any intelligent, witty or funny dialogue at any given point. Do not see this film, for the love of all that is holy.

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