Nacho Libre (2006)

Love iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit sooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuch!!!

Fmovies: Just, watch the movie. It may seem like a dumb 2006 comedy movie with Jack Black, and that's exactly what it is. It's completely ridiculous and nonsensical, but if you have the right mind set (that being that this is a dumb movie with dumb jokes) you'll most likely enjoy yourself. It doesn't try to be something that it's not, it knows it's a stupid comedy with completely ridiculous jokes and it just is what it is. It's nothing great, really nothing special, no hidden meaning or religious messages it just kind of exist to exist. Just appreciate it for what it is. It has some outrageous jokes and some mediocre acting, but actually has a nice enjoyable plot with the main actors being as ridiculous as possible and honest a great soundtrack. Just trust me when I say to give it a watch, it's on Netflix and is short so you're really not wasting yo much of your time if you don't like it. A lot of great memorable moments and very nostalgic for me, and for me and my family it's a cult-classic.

I make no apologies for liking this movie. It seemed everyone at the video store, from the manager on down, all thought otherwise....but I took a shot, rented it, and laughed my butt off watching this film. Now I own it.

Jack Black was hilarious as the monk-pro wrestling wannabe "Nacho." The premise alone is humorous: an overweight Mexican monk who would rather be a famous wrestler. It doesn't say much for his spirituality, but it made for a lot of laughs.

It's all outrageous, absurd humor, not meant to do anything but evoke laughs, at any cost......just harmless fun. Detractors should keep that in mind.

I have no interest in wrestling but the wrestling scenes in this film had me constantly laughing out loud. Black's tag-team partner, "Esquelito" (Hector Jimenez) was just as funny as the main star, if not funnier. Just the look on his face with all his teeth sticking out was funny!

I have no interest in being a monk, either, but I know none of these "monks" in here were realistic figures, especially the nun: "Sister Encarcion" (Ana de la Reguera ). No offense, but only in the movies are nuns this beautiful. Wow, Reguera looked like a cross between Penelope Cruz and a young Winona Ryder. And, she wasn't just beautiful, but a sweet lady, too.

Although it's a comedy, the story had some nice touches of sentimentality and humanity, namely: "Nacho's" attitude adjustment, his genuine compassion for orphaned kids that the Brothers and Sisters took care of, and his basic desire to do good despite a very weak commitment to "vows."

Maybe that's why there are so many critics of this film: it wasn't mean-edged and nasty enough to satisfy them. However,those who appreciate good slapstick will like this movie.

Also, if you appreciate bold, beautiful colors, you'll find this an attractive movie. There was a feast of brilliant colors shown. I was impressed how much effort was made to make this movie look nice in addition to getting laughs.

In, a very, very pleasant surprise: much better than I ever hoped it would be....and recommended for those wanting a bunch of belly laughs for an hour-and-a-half.

Nacho Libre fmovies. I saw this at the LA premiere at the Chinese Mann Theater. The audience was laughing so much at times, it was hard to hear the film. Jack Black may at times go over the top but he more than makes up for it with some moments of real genius. Besides the obvious jokes there's an intelligent, awkward humor here for those who look for it. Some critics are saying the plot is too predictable. C'mon. This is often an issue with critics trying to take storytelling in comedies too seriously. If a comedy succeeds in making you laugh all the way through, who the heck cares? Were you going to this movie to feel suspense or to pee your pants laughing? If the latter, you'll love this film.

Saw this on a plane flight from Thailand to Japan, and it seemed as if I was the only one laughing. Once I found where this movie was coming from, it had me LOL and getting a few glances from others more interested in the food. Let me explain. Its not gag, punchline funny and was never intended to be. The understated dryness of visual gags and 'dead pan' delivery of dialog makes this movie totally ridiculous and a crack up! Black is great and pulls off some excellent poses. The movie is clever and artistically shot, adding even more depth to the humour. At worst this movie has a few slow spots, but it is peppered with some great 'laugh till there is dribble running out the side of your mouth' slapstick.

It's good to know that farce is alive and well in the world. Since the mid 90's it feels like film makers have lost their grip on truly great weird comedy. Movies that speak to the few and turn off the rest. It seems that even as the tools to unlock our imaginations get flashier and flashier, and special effect budgets grow and grown, American film grow static and stale. Then when it seems like all hope is lost, a film like NACHO LIBRE comes along.

Somewhere in Mexico, a young priest named Nacho (Jack Black) longs to be recognized. He's tired of serving the same bland food to the young boys in his charge. He's tired of being disrespected by the other priests. He longs to be a luchadore (a Mexican wrestler), and to gain the affections of the stunning Sister Encarnación (Ana del la Regura). Then when all hope is lost he teams up with a new friend named Esquelta, and takes the Mexican wrestling world by storm. Will the orphan boys get better food? Will Nacho win the heart of Sister Encarnación? Will he lose everything he has, on a quest to become a great warrior? Giving this movie its due will provide those answers and more. The movie not perfect. It's a little overlong and some of the jokes fall flat on their face. But there is an earnestness and a sweet gentility in the film that will win you over. You cannot enter this movie with the wrong attitude and if you don't like weird movie its not for you. But if you let it entertain you and if you give into the fact that it really bizarre, it will work. You have to take every scene with grain of salt and logic must be thrown out the window. But if you turn off that part of your brain that strives for everything to be plausible, than this film will entertain.

Then for no apparent reason the movie does something I didn't quite expect, it begins to tackle a serious subject. Behind all the silliness is a story about how legalism traps us in a place of boredom and predictability. Whether it be religious legalism or secular legalism, NACHO LIBRE is about a misfit who succeeds because he goes out on a limb. He doesn't give up his religious fervor when the chips are down, when his atheist friend tells him to give into science and logic, and he doesn't give up on God because men of cloth treat him badly. He stays true to his faith and not his religion. This message is not beaten over the audiences head. This is not a religious picture. But it gives the film a dimension that I didn't expect.

Director Jared Hess, doesn't stray to far from his Napoleon Dynamite roots. But that's okay. It works here and he hits the right comic tones. I can't wait for the DVD because I'm convinced that the film really needs to be viewed a second time. Knowing what to expect allows the audience to settle into Hess skewed comedy. The film is very dry and if you don't know what to expect its easy to dismiss the comedy and think the film is horrible. You have to work at it a little bit and let it sink in. But when you get it you'll love it.

If you're looking for an hour and half of silliness you can't go wrong with NACHO LIBRE. It's cute, sweet, and you get to stare at Jack Black's upper torso for far too long. Trust me if you like weirdly sweet Mexican wrestling comedies this is the film for you.