AmateurMovieReviews.com

Jack Black...one of those fellows whom you either like or you can't stand...stars in this adorable, amusing flick, directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), written by Jared and Jerusha Hess. Jack is Ignacio, a Friar at a Mexican orphanage responsible for meal preparation. Ignacio grew up in this very monastery, and now is an adult with no skills to serve him in the real world. As a result, he sees no future for himself. He loves the orphan children he cooks for daily, but is forced to use leftover and donated ingredients and as a result the food is simply disgusting...always fascinated by the Lucha Libre wrestling circuit, Ignacio hatches a plan to become Nacho Libre and make enough money to ensure his charges are finally well fed...while at the same time impressing the new Sister at the convent, Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera).

Lucha Libre is the term in nearly every Spanish-speaking country for any type of professional wrestling or freestyle wrestling. It began in the early 1900's and truly took off in Mexico in the 1930's when American wrestlers headed south of the border. Wrestlers are known as luchadors...the plural is luchadores. Masks have been used since inception, and all wrestlers in Mexico use them until the end of their career. It's common for luchadors on their 'final tour' to become unmasked, their character being officially retired.

Lucha is forbidden by the church, and Ignacio risks being thrown out of the monastery, but when he sees an ad for a match that will earn him a cash prize the temptation is too much to bear. An apparently homeless, painfully thin man steals his donated chips one evening, and Ignacio notices his skill and decides to make him his wrestling partner...Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez). They lose their first match but are presented with an envelope full of money anyway...their share of the spoils. For the first time, the orphans are served delicious, fresh salad and plenty of other goodies. Nacho feels a bit like a hero instead of a loser for a change, and he loves it, though we begin to wonder if he will become caught up in the quest for fame and forget the reason behind wrestling in the first place.

The cast of wrestling characters in this film are hilarious...two little people who call themselves 'Satan's Cavemen', and Ramses, Nacho's long time idol whom he has placed upon a rather high pedestal. Jack Black is fabulous throughout, from his accent, his eyebrows, and his body language right down to his pudgy self in tights and shirtless. He is constantly amusing, and I simply can't imagine the film without him.

As they progress up the ladder of Lucha, Nacho and Esqueleto begin to desire fame and all that goes with it...when they attempt to enter the 'inner world' of the sport at a party (the scene with Esqueleto and Ramses' manager's overweight daughter is a knee slapper), they are promptly rejected. They do manage to discover that the winner of an upcoming match will go on to fight Ramses himself and turn pro in the process, and this becomes the focus of Nacho's world. Unfortunately, it is at the expense of the very people he so wanted to care for and impress...Encarnacion reminds him on the evening of the party that there is no food for the orphans for breakfast, and he tells her there will be by morning. In the rush of excitement, he forgets and returns home with nothing to find that she has taken care of everything in his stead. She's disappointed, the kids are upset and in an attempt to retain her respect he reveals that he is indeed a Lucador and that with the proceeds from his upcoming match he plans to purchase a bus for the children so they can take many field trips. He is acting as God's warrior, wrestling for good...how could there be anything bad about it?

Nacho is of course unsuccessful and loses the match, then heads out to the desert to live the rest of his life alone and shamed. Esqueleto comes to him a few days later to let him know that the winner of the match has suffered an 'accident' and sustained a broken foot that will keep him sidelined...since Nacho came in second, he now gets to fight Ramses.

Nacho Libre is entertaining from start to finish, without any gaps or boring spots that are typical for this genre. Also, the movie is 100 minutes long, which I found to be very refreshing...most films wind up dragging the storyline on and on to make the movie longer, often at the expense of the plot. Short, sweet, and rated PG so it's safe for the kiddies. In fact, they may cheer louder than you do.