Movie Review part deux: Nacho Libre

by Dan Gattuso

Nacho Libre is the second feature film from Jarod Hess following the runaway success of Napoleon Dynamite, which achieved rapid cult status after its debut in 2004. Napoleon Dynamite is revered for how clever it is in its stupidity, and Hess takes an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to Nacho Libre.

It may not be broken, but some fine tuning wouldn't have hurt.

The dim-witted protagonist this time around is Ignacio, a friar looked down upon by the other Franciscans, who assign him all the grunt work and shit jobs none of them want to do, especially cooking. While Ignacio is deeply devoted to the orphans he and the other friars watch over, he has secretly longed to be a famous luchador (wrestler) since the days when he was a child at the same orphanage.

After forming a partnership with a scrappy bum named Esqueleto, the unlikely pair set off on a truly bizarre training program to get ready for their matches. How they determined getting hit by flying cantaloupes and smearing cow dung across their faces would help is anyone's guess, but that's part of their charm. Soon they take to the ring, and Ignacio dons the guise of Nacho Libre to hide his identity.

Nacho and Esqueleto are lousy wrestlers; but they're entertaining losers, and the promoters pay them to come back every week. Ignacio uses his "winnings" to buy better food to cook for the orphans, but he also gets blinded by his lack of star power and embarks on a misguided attempt to woo Sister Encarnación, a beautiful nun who has recently arrived to teach the orphans. Soon Ignacio is buying fancy clothes and neglecting his priestly duties to hang out with the wrestling glitterati.

The crisis of faith that ensues could overwhelm a greater man, but Ignacio takes it all in stride, accepting his penance until an opportunity for redemption comes along. Redemption is what Jack Black gives this film, rescuing the movie from the dregs of comedies gone horribly wrong. Ignacio/Nacho is a guy we can root for thanks to Black, who couches his buffoonery in the social dysfunction of having grown up in an orphanage, not just because he's dumber or slower than everyone else (not that Ignacio is a rocket scientist or anything).

The other saving grace is Black's staggeringly gorgeous co-star, Ana de la Reguera (the best parts of Paz Vega and Penelope Cruz combined), who plays the perfect straight-woman, reacting to Black's clumsy advances and general awkwardness with a confused but kind face.

Unfortunately, the lengthy shots and long pauses that worked so well in Napoleon Dynamite nearly suffocate Nacho Libre. In Dynamite, Napoleon and Pedro take their sweet time mentally and physically, and the pace fits the mood. The characters in Nacho Libre aren't any brighter necessarily, but when combined with all the wrestling action, the same style creates serious pacing issues. Having an extra $30 million or so goes a long way toward better lighting, costumes, set design and overall cinematography, but Hess' molasses-like filmmaking style just doesn't cut it for much of this film's torpid 100 minutes.

Note: If you can tolerate another five minutes, stick around during the credits for a very funny song from Jack Black.

Also check out John P. Meyer's take on this film.