After battling 50ft gorillas in his last film, Jack Black goes back to doing what he does best....Lucha Libre.
Just got back from seeing Nacho Libre, and really all I can say is “wow.” My sides haven’t hurt this bad from laughing since I first saw Napoleon Dynamite 2 years ago, and it’s only fitting that Nacho Libre was done by Jared Hess--the same guy who directed “Napoleon.”
Jack Black stars as Ignacio, a cook working at the Mexican monastary where he was raised. When the monastary is faced with financial ruin, Nacho takes it upon himself to raise enough money by joining the local Lucha Libre tournaments and become the masked wrestler known as ‘Nacho Libre’. Along the way Nacho teams up with Esqueleto, a young man living on the streets who ultimately becomes Nacho’s closest friend and tag-team partner. Despite Nacho’s good intentions, he also wishes to impress a beautiful nun (Ana de la Reguera), and win the admiration of the children at the monastary.
Personally, I thought this movie was hysterical. I am a big fan of Jack Black and his form of physical comedy, and when I found out that he was playing a Luchadore I almost immediately knew this film would be a non-stop laugh riot. Much like “Napoleon” I was laughing almost immediately from the film’s beginning, all the way to the end.
What I thought was most amusing is that the Luchadores are regarded as A-list celebrities, and are NEVER seen without their masks. Being a fan of professional wrestling, I have heard how sacred the mask of the Luchadore is, but there’s just something about seeing someone parading around town in a 3-piece suit and a gold Luchadore mask that makes me laugh hysterically.
Hess does a good job of really playing up the stereotypes that most people seem to have about the Mexican culture, from the bad accents, to the terribly out-dated clothing (complete with a V-neck shirt ontop of a turtle neck with a golden cross hanging on the outside), to the sickening “corn-on-a-stick” that Nacho’s friend Esqueleto can’t seem to live without.
The movie itself does a nice job of flowing smoothly, and the actors all do a good job in their respective parts. Despite not having much screen time Ana de la Reguera does a great job as Nacho’s love interest, and the scenes involving the two of them are without a doubt some of the funniest in the entire film (the ‘recreation clothes’ scene still has me laughing even as I write this). Hector Jimenez who stars as Nacho’s sidekick Esqueleto definitely delivers the break-thru performance, and some of the most classic lines of the film. Something tells me that even though he hasn’t appeared in any films of mention, he is definitely going to be viewed as this year’s ‘Pedro’ (from Napoleon Dynamite). Jack Black always delivers with these kinds of movies, because they allow him to do what he does best....be completely ridiculous. From the accent he uses, to his “sweet stache” (come on you knew the ‘Napoleon’ references were going to continue to happen!) to the way he moves about the ring—Black truly is given the opportunity to let loose and bring the character of Nacho to life as only he can. If I were a betting man, I’d say that most of Nacho’s lines were either improved or altered in some way by Black...he’s that good.
All-in-all I would definitely say that Nacho Libre is a great way to spend 90min, and will have you craving corn-on-a-stick and sporting horribly cheap-looking relgious jewelry in no time.