ناتشو ليبر

"Nacho Libre" is one of those movies that they crank out from time to time with absolutely no pretense about being totally goofy. The movie has no artistic value, and doesn't pretend to. It's an excuse to see Jack Black be his usual crazy self, which he does without even trying. I will say that it's not the funniest movie that I've ever seen. At times, the whole thing seems like kind of a cliché, what with him trying to make something of himself. But like I said, they make no pretense about being anything but silly, unadulterated fun. So, just expect to have a nice, brainless time while watching it. Even if, like me, you're not really into pro-wrestling, it's still possible to like the movie. And besides, Sister Encarnacion is really hot!

This is a very, very bad movie. I love Jack Black, but I hated this flick. We really didn't "select" this movie; it just happened to fit our time-frame and we needed to kill two hours so this was the only movie starting when we needed. You know, we would have been better off just sitting in our car in front of the water park waiting for our daughter. And we would have saved some money. Even my husband thought it was bad, and he'll watch anything! The characters seemed so underdeveloped and one-dimensional, and a lot of what went on just didn't make sense or flow (was there a lot of footage edited out that would have explained a lot of the stuff going on?). Very jerky movie. One scene that comes to mind is the one where he scales a mountain, eats a bird egg, and then jumps (or falls) into the water. What??? Where's the rest of it? I kept waiting for the mother eagle to come and poke his eye out or pull down his stretchy-pants. Not that that would have improved the scene but I was left "unfulfilled". This experience has reminded me of why I always do extensive research before I see a movie: I hate wasting my time and I hate wasting my money.

Nacho Libre is good family entertainment. That pretty much wraps up the film in a nutshell. Does this mean it's a kids film? No, not really, I have no kids and enjoyed it, but that doesn't mean that kids that see it won't be cracking up either. The humor in this film is a bit more from the toilet, there are lots of funny accents and there's wrestling. You can't find a better formula for kids. Jack Black seems to be really enjoying himself in this film, and his portrayal of Nacho is just as fun to watch. This film might be the closest big screen foray into showcasing the comedic strengths that Black has displayed in really funny SNL sketches and his Tenacious D persona, and maybe that's what made it so fun for him. The best part of the film though is Esqueleto(Héctor Jiménez), a homeless man turned wrestler and only friend of Nacho. Jiménez is total scene stealer and thankfully they give him plenty of screen time. It's as if someone took the best parts of Taylor Negron and Felix Montano and created the ultimate comedic sidekick.

Saw this on a plane flight from Thailand to Japan, and it seemed as if I was the only one laughing. Once I found where this movie was coming from, it had me LOL and getting a few glances from others more interested in the food. Let me explain. Its not gag, punchline funny and was never intended to be. The understated dryness of visual gags and 'dead pan' delivery of dialog makes this movie totally ridiculous and a crack up! Black is great and pulls off some excellent poses. The movie is clever and artistically shot, adding even more depth to the humour. At worst this movie has a few slow spots, but it is peppered with some great 'laugh till there is dribble running out the side of your mouth' slapstick.

Time is so precious. Undeniably precious. Too bad I will never have that one hour and forty minutes that it took to sit through this dreck, back. Given the fact that Nacho Libre was directed by Jared Hess, who directed one of my favorite films of 2004, Napoleon Dynamite, I was looking forward to some great comedy. But instead, I got a pile of poo-poo. Jack Black plays Nacho, an orphan raised as a man who becomes the cook of a Mexican monastery in Oaxaca, Mexico. The monastery is on the brink of financial ruin, but Nacho finds it in his heart to become the greatest 'Luchardore' there ever was, also known as a Mexican wrestler, to earn money for the monastery and to feed the children. Enter the lovely and beautiful Sister Encarnacion (Ana de le Reguera), who he tries to impress and takes a special liking to her. There's no doubt about it... Jack Black is very funny. His Mexican accent is pretty much played for laughs. And we do laugh when he speaks. Hector Jimenez plays, Esqueleto, Nacho's skinny little sidekick. His facial expressions are perfect for comedy. But there's no story here. No explanation about the sport. Nacho Libre is a complete mess and seemed to be edited five minutes before the screening I attended. I do give kudos to Black for being a sport about wearing tights and having his enormous belly hang out for most of the movie. He just seems so out of place here. The four kids who were sitting right behind me were having a field day with the slapstick humor and fart scenes. And to a point, so was I. But I'm still longing for that precious hour and forty minutes that are gone forever.

Just, watch the movie. It may seem like a dumb 2006 comedy movie with Jack Black, and that's exactly what it is. It's completely ridiculous and nonsensical, but if you have the right mind set (that being that this is a dumb movie with dumb jokes) you'll most likely enjoy yourself. It doesn't try to be something that it's not, it knows it's a stupid comedy with completely ridiculous jokes and it just is what it is. It's nothing great, really nothing special, no hidden meaning or religious messages it just kind of exist to exist. Just appreciate it for what it is. It has some outrageous jokes and some mediocre acting, but actually has a nice enjoyable plot with the main actors being as ridiculous as possible and honest a great soundtrack. Just trust me when I say to give it a watch, it's on Netflix and is short so you're really not wasting yo much of your time if you don't like it. A lot of great memorable moments and very nostalgic for me, and for me and my family it's a cult-classic.

I hope that Jack Black and every person involved with the production of this movie has my home address so they can send me a written apology for my time spent in the theatre. What do you do when you just had a big hit movie and one more joke? You get a backer and make a one note bad film. Husband and wife Jared and Jershua Hess, the creative team behind "Napoleon Dynamite," join forces with Mike White and Jack Black, the team behind "School Of Rock," to try and drop kick another hit with the tale of Nacho Libre. The concept, perhaps the most interesting and funny aspect of the movie, has a Mexican Friar Ignacio (Black) as a man of the cloth that has to turn to Mexican Wrestling to make enough money to feed the orphans. While the film does have a couple of great guffaws and it's share of slapstick antics to shock us into laughing, the bulk of the movie relies on Jack Black's ability to carry the weight of the entire film on his back and suplex it. He can't do it with one joke, but what an effort he puts in. Jack Black does his worst "typical" Mexican accent and body slams his signature style of quick quips effectively, but it just is not enough to make the whole movie work . This is the kind of movie that catch phrases come from, but I'll put a figure-four leg lock on anyone that tries to repeat these lines to me. Some times this kind of movie works, but that is when the star has a cast to support him. The script only introduces one other comic character into the movie… and he only has one joke too… and it's the same one Jack Black is telling. In what could have been a very funny scene with Black singing to the current wrestling champion, the director ends the scene way too short. I'm sure they has a great time filming this movie, but during the editing process someone should have noticed that the film just wasn't working. In the middle of the film is a sequence of scenes that seem to be put in just because the director "thought" they were funny. Not only do they not follow the plot or progress the story at all, but they don't even stay in the same genre of comedy. There are two jokes that would have fit into "Airplane!" and others that wanted to be in a dark Wes Anderson-esquire comedy. Some positive things I can say is that the costumes and set design was meticulous and perfectly hilarious. The location shooting in Oaxaca, Mexico is beautiful and sets the mood wonderfully. By using the full use of the natural beauty, with the cinematography to capture the amazing work of all the technical aspects of the film, this film was visually compelling. When I left the theatre I saw some younger people still laughing outside, maybe this unfocused film would be funny for someone that has not been jaded by watching intelligent and inspired comedies. Sorry Mr. Black, but I have seen great comedies and this is not one of them. He may be the champ, but I will not step back in the ring with Nacho Libre.