Who'd have thought university would be so time-consuming!
Who'd have thought university would be so time-consuming!
Member since:19.06.2005
Reviews:131
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Nacho Libre is the second film from director Jared Hess; his first, Napoleon Dynamite, was a strange indie comedy which became a huge cult classic. This film stars Jack Black (previously seen in School of Rock, King Kong, and the rock band Tenacious D) as the Nacho in question, and a supporting cast of relative unknowns.
Jack Black plays Ignacio, a monk in a Mexican monastery/orphanage. He enjoys looking after the young children, but his cooking duties are leaving him bored and searching for more excitement in his life. Ignacio has a secret passion for wrestling, and one day, he teams up with a poor thief named Esqueleto to create a tag team wrestling combination. By doing this, he becomes his alter ego, Nacho (which I think is short for the name Ignacio, in case you were wondering); complete with stretch trousers, red pants, a cape and mask.
Needless to say, the pair are, at first, pretty bad, even after some extreme training in the wilderness. They're getting paid fairly handsomely just for losing, but they want to win, and even turn professional - so they sneak into a party held
by the number one luchador (wrestler), Ramses, and try to talk to his agent to organise a lucrative fight.
When the monastery finds out about Ignacio's secret double life, they are far from pleased, especially the beautiful new nun called Encarnacion (played by Ana de la Reguera). She sees the sport as unholy and thinks that Ignacio is only doing it to serve his own greed. However, Ignacio has a dream to beat the champion with the help of God, and spend all the winnings on the young children, and the lady, that he loves.
Predictable and unrealistic as it sounds (and is), Nacho Libre is definitely a winner. The film starts off as a gentle family comedy with some sympathetic characters and a few sporadic laughs, quirky humour and a slow, chilled-out pace. I was content with that - it was a pleasant enough way to spend a Friday afternoon, and I had no expectations, so I wasn't disappointed.
However, after a slightly slow first twenty minutes, Nacho Libre transforms just like the central character; into a rip-roaring hilarious comedy, albeit still quite a laid-back, indie one. Jack Black is brilliant; full of weird facial expressions and dodgy outfits. He also shows off his err unique singing abilities, not once but twice in this film, both times to hilarious effect. Many will be enticed by the sight of Jack Black in a leotard, and whilst that is funny, there's a lot more to this film than that one visual gag. Black really is the star of the show and without him, Nacho Libre wouldn't be half as good.
Some reviews have said that it's not particularly funny, and true, there are a few too many fart jokes which will never be funny, and the jokes are sometimes fairly far between. But on the whole, there isn't a lot of toilet or gross-out humour, which is always a good thing, and I found myself laughing a lot, despite it clearly being a family-friendly comedy.
Others have complained that it's racist and offensive, but to be honest they really need to lighten up. So what if Jack Black portrays a Mexican character, complete with Mexican accent? As if a character hasn't played a different nationality before. And you have to bear in mind all the time that this is a light-hearted, silly film.
I thought Jack Black's sidekick, played by Hector Jimenez, was also extremely funny, and had some great moments of his own. For example, he knows how to use corn as a dangerous weapon, and he's very funny in the wrestling scenes, as is Jack Black - they make a great on screen partnership, probably because of their enormous physical difference.
The direction was great since it didn't rush anything or try to cram in as many jokes as possible - there was plenty of time to establish the loving relationship between Ignacio and his kids. This was surprisingly sweet, but never sentimental; even at the predictable ending with its moral in the tale. It was a nice-looking film, with lots of lingering shots of the Mexican countryside, and it had some good music on its soundtrack, which fitted both the light-hearted and Mexican aspects of the film.
Nacho Libre isn't particularly memorable or innovative, nor will it go down in the history of great comedies, but it is an enjoyable, light-hearted romp. If you can forgive the thin story and ignore the fart jokes, there's a lot to like, and Jack Black is as crazily watchable as ever. _______________________________________________
The cheapest I could find Nacho Libre online was £11.95 from www.blahdvd.com. I'm just reviewing the film, not the DVD.
Directed By: Jared Hess
Starring:
Jack Black Ignacio/Nacho Ana de la Reguera Sister Encarnacion Hector Jimenez Esqueleto
Running Time: 92 minutes
Classification: 12A (some rough action, and crude humor including dialogue)
My Rating: 4 stars
Pictures of Nacho Libre (DVD)
Ignacio with one of the orphans
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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I am afraid I was really disappointed by this film - didn't find it funny at all. Still, I am a grumpy old git and it is all a matter of taste I guess.
alexclare 06.03.2007 23:17
Great review, really good points and well presented!
x-staz-x 27.02.2007 22:13
I really wanted to see this when it first came out, as you can imagine. But still havent got round to it, Great review staz x
Nacho (Jack Black) is a man without skills. After growing up in a Mexican monastery, he is ... more
now a grown man and the monastery's cook, but doesn't seem to fit in. Nacho cares deeply for the orphans he feeds, but his food is terrible - mostly, if you ask ...
![Nacho Libre [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78209016.jpg "Nacho Libre [DVD] [2006]")
Feb 3rd, 2007
exceptional by (2%):
very helpful by (98%):
