The Diva's review of
Nacho Libre (2006)

Rated PG; running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Written by Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess & Mike White
Directed by: Jared Hess
Cast: Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Hector Jimenez, Darius Rose, Cesar Gonzalez

WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW.

The Digest

Brother Ignancio ( Jack Black) is a friar at a poor Mexican orphanage. Having been an orphan there himself, he really understands what the children go through. This is why it pains him to serve them the meager fare he is forced to cook for them. He believes in his heart that if he had better food. It is the food that is the problem not his lack of skills. But where would he get the money?

Maybe he could make a childhood dream become a reality. He wanted to be a luchador.. Luchador’s have a gimmick similar to our own WWF and simiallry they have a large following. This following concerns Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera), she thinks it is idol worship and there for evil. And though madly infatuated with her, Ignacio still pushes forth and becomes Nacho Libre. He completely sucks but he still gets paid. So along with his tag-team partner, the skeletally skinny Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez), he takes on bout after bout, all the while trying to hide his identity and take care of the children at the same time and in doing so he risks banishment from the orphanage and Sister Encarnacion.

The Dish

It has come to my attention that I’m a huge Jack Black fan. I would have to be to have loved this movie as much as I did, they tell me. So be it. This movie really made me laugh – hard. I thought it was endearing and hilarious it as a combination of Napoleon Dynamite and School of Rock two of my favorite movies so I guess I was a fan without looking at the first frame.

Let’s be real. This movie is no real cinematic feat. But for me, the simplicity of it, is what is so appealing. These particular filmmakers don’t stretch. These stories are driven by the quirky characters. You don’t pay much attention to the story (or its plot holes) because the main characters are so engaging. Speaking of characters… I do have some concerns about the image of the Hispanic people. Now I grew up in San Diego and I spent A lot of time in Tijuana. I have seen people who are that desperately poor. These people live in small dead end towns that have no real quality of life except for the fun of watching the luchadores.

The Directive

Look, this movie isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed it and I think if you like Napoleon Dynamite, you’ll love this..

Nacho typical comedy

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Copyright Kamal "The Diva" Larsuel-Ulbricht, 2006
EMAIL: thediva@3blackchicks.com
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