Entertaining though strange

Rating: 8/10 (17 August 2014)

Of the four movies I have seen Jack Black in, I find this to be his best performance. The role was definitely written for him and you can see some parallels like his situation with Encarnancion in the storyline to those of School of Rock and Guliver's Travels. His humor is more varied in this than in School of Rock. I could do without the wrestling, though some might find humor and entertainment in it. I like the sidekick of Eskeleto and Ignacio's orphan friend Chancho. The lines of this movie, and especially their delivery, I think make it as good as it is. Other areas of humor that I find good are things like the progression of the food Ignacio serves and the party for Ramses that he goes to and the eagle egg scene. Its something that's good to watch with a big group of people, but I don't think it would top many people's lists. It isn't very similar to the aforementioned Black pictures, so it isn't worth seeing just for the actor. But if you like quotable movies, you'll enjoy this. It's kind of an underdog story, but not in an annoying way like lots of sports movies. The character of Ignacio is pretty good, because he's kind of caught in life that he's not cut out for. It really proves that not many people are meant for religious life and that religious people can be far from perfect. One of the best aspects of the movie is the little background song that they use. To poke holes in it, I might say that it was a poor portrayal of Mexican society, not that I really know anything about it. Its not exactly done crudely, but you can tell that the producers had a rather low budget to work with from the weird choreography of the wrestling scenes. I think it was done well enough, so the only reason that someone might not like this movie is if they prefer a different type of humor, or if you're like me and find the wrestling somewhat distasteful. So, for an overall rating, 8.2/10.