10/26/06 Nacho Libre

Nacho Libre (2006), directed by Jared Hess

watched w/ Leslie, Kristin (partially) & again w/ Rebecca; DVD rental (Netflix) @ home

Now solidified as one of my all-time favorite comedies, Hess' "Napoleon Dynamite" was an instant classic when it hit the ground running on the film circuit some 2 years ago. To be honest, I had heard nothing good about this follow-up feature of his since the moment it was released...no doubt people trying in vain to compare it to "Napoleon," when it's an entirely different (albeit same quirky tilt to the humor) film. Where as before it was virtual unknown/underscored nerd Jon Heder as the lead character, and now its the expectations of famous/over-the-top goofball Jack Black as the titular Nacho. Originally the orphaned boy named Ignacio (Jack Black) in a Mexican monastery, the man is now a hapless cook who tries in vain to win the hearts (and stomachs) of the other orphaned children and monks in the monastery. Seen as a laughing stock, Ignacio daydreams allow him to think of bigger & better things for himself and the orphanage. With his big heart, and his eccentric brain, he decides to enlist in a local luchador (Mexican wrestler) tournament, which will not only help him win prize money to upgrade the orphanage's food supply, but hopefully win the heart of the beautiful new Sister Encarnacion with whom he's smitten. Enlisting the help of a slovenly thief Esqueleto, Ignacio transforms into the heroic-looking Nacho by donning the traditional luchador mask & cape and training with his new friend in such tactics as chucking live bee hives at his head. The dynamic duo is luckless at first, but even at losing the wrestling matches to more skilled & stronger opponents, the two earn valuable money that goes back into Ignacio's hopes for the children. All the while keeping his double identity as a luchador a secret, lest he be banished from the monastery and ridiculed even more, Nacho earns the respect of the community, children and finally Sister Encarnacion alike. When his moonlighting gig at losing is still not enough to satisfy his dreams, and prove once & for all that he is somebody, Nacho & Esqueleto take on the ultimate match in the prolific (and snobby) Ramses the great in a battle royale tournament than could guarantee a bright future for those at the orphanage. The oddball journey doesn't take the usual path to get to its heart-warming moral, but it does a fantastic job as a family film (and a brilliant follow-up in left-field humor to the acclaimed "Napoleon" in my opinion) in expressing the important things in life. Let's just say that the end is happy enough to allow Nacho/Ignacio to bring back a large bus to the orphans in order to take them on glorious field-trip adventures and give them all the things he never had as a child. And he gets the girl...err nun...in the end. Viva Nacho and his recreational pants!

4 out of 5 stars