Didn't like it the first time, but it grew on me with a second viewing

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2008)

I heard about this film while it was in theatres. The fact that it was from the creators of "Napoleon Dynamite" and starred Jack Black were two good reasons for me to see it, and I was probably thinking about going to see it in the theatre, but it never happened. I finally saw it on the small screen very late in 2006, but despite being a fan of "Napoleon Dynamite" and Jack Black, I found the film to be pretty much average and forgettable, so I didn't regret not seeing it on the big screen. Nearly a year and a half later, however, I've seen it again, and this time, it was surprisingly better.
Ignacio is a man who was raised as an orphan in a monastery in Mexico, and now works there as the cook. Unfortunately, the monastery is in a poor financial state, so the food he makes is terrible! When a nun named Sister Encarnación moves into the monastery, Ignacio develops a crush on her. To save the monastery, be able to start feeding the orphans well, and impress Sister Encarnación, he goes out to make money, and plans to achieve his long-term ambition and become a wrestler. He convinces a street thief named Steven to join him as his sidekick, and together, they start participating in local wrestling matches, Ignacio under the name, "Nacho Libre" and Steven under the name, "Esqueleto". Even though Steven tends to take rough beatings in the ring, and the pair don't tend to win matches at first, they still make money, enough for Ignacio to feed the orphans properly. The problem is, where he comes from, wrestling is considered a sin.
"Napoleon Dynamite" doesn't have much of a plot, but due to all the laughs I found in it, I can't complain much. This follow-up from director/co-writer Jared Hess and his wife and co-writer Jerusha Hess (along with Mike White this time) isn't quite as funny as its predecessor (though I definitely found it funnier the second time than I did the first). Here, we have the main character farting occasionally, and fart jokes are a rather tiresome cliché in comedy these days that mustn't take much talent to come up with! Fortunately, there aren't a lot of those in this particular movie, though I also didn't care much for certain other gags, such as Nacho rubbing excrement in Esqueleto's face. However, it certainly still is funny at times, even though generally not hilarious. Jack Black often provides laughs, and I'm sure many other fans of his would agree. Maybe none of the gags can match some of the ones in ND, but for fans of Jack Black and slapstick, it should have its funny moments. Also, unlike its predecessor, this film is touching at times. Jack Black plays a silly but likable and caring character, which is definitely a highlight. The wrestling scenes add a bit of suspense to the story. In other words, unlike ND, it's not all about the laughs.
This certainly isn't the most consistent comedy I've ever seen, with some unnecessary moments (like the fart jokes), which the movie probably would have been better without, but overall, it's still reasonably funny film with a good story. It's much better than the dreadful "Epic Movie", that's for sure! The reason I mention that is because "Nacho Libre" is one of the films "spoofed" in that crime against humanity! Also, Héctor Jiménez, who plays Esqueleto in this film, soon went on to play Mr. Tumnus in "Epic Movie" afterwards! Anyway, if you want lighthearted silliness, along with a bit of action and some fairly touching moments, this second feature-length film from the creators of "Napoleon Dynamite" is probably worth checking out, especially if you're a Jack Black fan. Even if you're not impressed the first time, it might improve with another viewing!