NACHO LIBRE
"Nacho, Nacho man, I've got to be a
Nacho man..."
PopcornReel.com Film Review: "Nacho Libre"
By Omar P.L. Moore/June 15, 2006
Her hero: Ignacio, aka Nacho (Jack
Black) in wrestling gear, skipping and swooping in ring. Sister
Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera) smiles with approval, in "Nacho Libre" (Photos:
Daniel Daza)
What a ridiculously funny and relentlessly
hilarious and sometimes politically incorrect movie this is. "Nacho Libre"
cheerfully mixes parody, stereotype and bathroom humor to such an effect that
you are forced to laugh, long, lustily and loudly. I'm still laughing.
Jared Hess, who directed this
nearly plot-less but never dull adventure of a humble servant of the Lord who
wants to find better ways of making penance to Mexico's orphans other than
serving them the slop of beans and nachos that he doles out on their dinner
plates everyday, squeezes in all the references to genre of several kinds that
in can in this film. Mr. Hess manages to make it all work and it is due to
the writing (Mr. Hess, his wife and writing partner Jerusha Hess, and "Good
Girl" writer Mike White are to thank, or as some may say after watching this --
no thanks), and the talents of its marquee star. Jack Black is the humble
servant in a monastery in Mexico and as the song goes throughout the movie, "a
real religious man." As Ignacio, he wants to do the right thing. He
tries to woo Sister Encarnacion (the enchanting and wonderfully sensual Ana de
la Reguera -- her eyes are magnetic aspects to her abundant beauty) but that
fails early on. He has to deal with being overshadowed by Guillermo
(Ricardo Montoya), a monk who also has his eye on the Good Sister.
After one-too-many food mishaps, Ignacio tries to recruit a wrestling partner, a
skinny, effeminate and flamboyant man named Esqueleto (The Skeleton) whose
signature is a dirty, grimy look, (the "ugly Mexican" stereotype), cringing
expression, and a corn on the cob, which he appears to be eating throughout the
film. After initial battles with Esqueleto (played by Hector Jimenez),
Ignacio and Esqueleto form a tag-team and absorb numerous bumps and bruises in
the Mexican sport of Lucha Libre, a popular traditional sport not unlike
wrestling that has been a famous Mexican pastime for many years (though not as
big in the country as the current World Cup is.) All the bouts were filmed
at the famed Oaxaca Stadium in Mexico City, and the location renders a warmth
and intimacy perfectly suited for the film. Mr. Black who in production
notes for "Nacho Libre" declares that he was "terrified" before filming began
last summer, acquits himself well as the Ignacio-turned-Nacho in the ring.
After many losses and many paychecks, the dynamic comedy duo wrestles bigger and
more legendary competition. As the losses in the ring mount, the money
rises, as does the quality of the orphans' meals. As one orphan boy says,
"can't we have salad for a change?" The boy's prayers are answered, and
there are hysterical, gut-busting sequences throughout the film involving food,
and a certain corn on the cob. For a PG-rated film, "Nacho Libre" is a
film that surely escaped the radar of the Motion Picture Association of America.
Mr. Hess' film is truly a PG-13 film masquerading as a PG. I don't think
that this film is for pre-teens, but any teenager and many adults will howl in
incredulity, if not always in delight at this funny film, shot entirely in
Mexico with that country's actors -- the cast outside of Mr. Black is made up of
actors from Mexico.
*
*
*
Soon, Ignacio is thrown out of the monastery which forbids wrestling or the
watching of it, and retreats to the wilderness, where he communicates to
Encarnacion in a very funny letter and gathers his thoughts. Predictably
he is lured back into the game of Lucha Libre, and he has to fight a formidable
opponent in Ramses (played by real-life professional luchador Cesar Gonzalez).
Mission possible: Ignacio (Jack Black) on the
run; his skinny wrestling partner Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez) practices the
eye-poke on a doll; Richard Montoya (as Guillermo) is not amused.
(Photos: Jamie Trueblood - first photo. Second two photos: Daniel Daza)
Mr. Black is earnest in his comedic ability and
acting chops, and it's not the first time he's been in a film that has shown its
politically incorrect side. In "Shallow Hal" (2000), one of the best films
of that year, he did terrifically in the title role as he played a man who saw
the true beauty of an obese Gwyneth Paltrow. There are some references to
obese women in "Nacho Libre" and other assorted things one should not be
laughing out loud about in public, but there is something in Mr. Black which
invites audiences to bring out their laughing shoes. He is naturally
funny, and his sense of adventure both in the roles he takes and the challenges
he meets, is exhilarating.
As for the others, Ms. De la Reguera smiles and says little most of the time as
the Sister, but her eyes speak volumes. Perhaps the funniest person on
screen is Mr. Jimenez. As Esqueleto he takes the brunt (perhaps far too
much) of the harsh and sometimes disgusting abuse, whether it be with food,
fists, manure, or a substantially-sized woman who has such a thing for him she
has to chase him through a small hole. "How did you get up here so fast?,"
Esqueleto asks her at one moment. Jack Black fans and fans of comedy in
general will probably laugh till the cows come home when watching "Nacho Libre",
but even some of them will find some of the humor in poor taste. Yet you
have to admire Mr. Black and company -- they do a fine job entertaining us for
the whole 91 minutes of this tidy, short feature film. The funniest film
of the summer -- hands down.
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