The Lord's Luchador

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2006)

Microphone {tap, tap, tap}: Ladies and gentlemen! For your wrestling entertainment, I introduce to you the Lord's Luchador, the Mauling Monk, the Orphanator! Put your hands together for Naaaacho Liiiibbbbre! Jack Black (KING KONG) returns as another obsessive character in Jared Hess' latest cinematic offering, NACHO LIBRE. Most will remember Hess for his stunning direction of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. Here he gets a bit more money for production and gives us a hilarious tale of a Mexican monk who's early dreams of becoming a luchador (wrestler) come to fruition later in life.
Jack Black plays Nacho, a cook at an orphanage/monastery where his talents as a chef come into question daily. But the one thing Nacho yearns for is to become a professional wrestler. His contact sports passions are reignited by the arrival of a beautiful nun named Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera (LADIES NIGHT), and by a wily thief named Esqueleto (SUPERVIVENCIA), a streetwise thug with bizarre moves. Esqueleto and Nacho team up and eventual take to the ring, only to be beaten time and again, but still making money. But making money isn't enough for Nacho ("I want to win!"). Vanity gets the better of Nacho and he tries everything to achieve his goal of becoming a winner, including finding a shaman who gives him sketchy advice regarding eagle eggs.
Finally Nacho learns that winning comes from within and uses his "inner" strength to make his way to the top.
Silliness occasionally racks Nacho Libre, but it is saved by Jack Black's incredible physical comedy. Not since SCHOOL OF ROCK has he been so well cast. The training scenes alone are worth the price of the rental (Cow dung to the face? A wasps nest to the head? Shooting Esqueleto with a blunted arrow?) When Nacho tries to court Sister Encarnacion, the comedy is further ratcheted up as Jack Black uses his butt-muscle tone in a nut cracking fashion! Napoleon Dynamite fans will flock to Hess' latest film, and will probably be amazed at what he accomplished with a little more cash and a few Hollywood well-known actors.