I do not think I have seen a PG rated comedy as funny as this.

Rating: 8/10 (19 August 2006)

I had a wonderful time viewing "Nacho Libre," which was written by Mike White of "School of Rock" and directed by Jared Hess of "Napoleon Dynamite." This had a very "Napoleon Dynamite" feel, which was much unexpected with the physical comedy of Jack Black, but it still worked well and better than I would have expected. If you liked "Napoleon Dynamite," you will likely enjoy this movie. Also like "Napoleon Dynamite," this movie is a love or hate type movie. I loved "Napoleon Dynamite," so I loved this.
Ignacio (aka Nacho Libre), as a young orphan, always had dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. Instead, he grew up to be a Monk at an orphanage. Ignacio loves the children, but does not like the way his life has become. He is also upset that he cannot provide enough food for the kids, the other monks, and a nun named Sister Encarnación. When a local wrestling contest offers a cash price, he looks for it as opportunities to not only provide for everybody but to fulfill his lifelong dream as well. He teams up with a local homeless man to become an amateur tag team. As his fame goes up, does Nacho forget why he began fighting for in the first place?
Jack Black brings another lovable character to the table. Everything he does is hilarious. His accent is funny. His facial expressions are excellent. In fact, his eyebrows, like Jim Carrey's butt, deserve a separate credit in itself. This film, like "Napoleon Dynamite," is loaded with many memorable quotes that will be quoted for a while. He is the lovable loser/underdog that you just cannot help but love, just like "Napoleon Dynamite." Nobody could have provided the role of Nacho quite like Jack Black.
The rest of the cast is fantastic as well. I especially loved Héctor Jiménez as Esqueleto. He was the perfect sidekick to Nacho. Exactly like how Pedro was the perfect sidekick to Napoleon. Nacho is big, while Esqueleto is skinny. Nacho is a "man of God," while Esqueleto is a full on "man of science." Seeing Esqueleto get beat up was definitely a highlight of the movie. Other hilarious cast members include "Satan's Cavemen" who are a couple of dwarfs that wrestle our two heroes. I would expect that fight to be nominated at next year's MTV Movie Awards for "Best Fight."
I needed to applaud Jared Hess for keeping this movie PG. This movie is humorous without relating to sexual, Farrelly brothers type humor. I do love "Dumb and Dumber," a Farrely Brothers movie, it is my favorite movie, but a movie like "Nacho Libre" and "Napoleon Dynamite" are truly great breaks from the typical crude/sexual/profanity filled comedies of today. This way you can make a movie the whole family can view.
I do not have much to complain about here. It did its job, which was to entertain. It actually really surprised me about how funny it was. I do not think I have found a PG rated comedy this funny. If I had to choose one complaint, it would be that the humor is too similar to "Napoleon Dynamite," but it is not a problem since I loved "Napoleon Dynamite." The movie was so similar, in the credits I expected some tatter tots to pop up somewhere randomly.
Overall, you will probably tell what you think of the movie, by either looking at the trailers or posters or seeing the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." Coming in I expected this movie to be either great or completely stupid. Luckily, I did not get the later. This movie was definitely worth the price of admission and it is a worthy addition to my DVD collection!