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August 6, 2008
Nacho Libre (2006)
Should I see it?
No.


Short Review: It was difficult for me to see the film. I scratched my eyes out after seeing Jack Black without a shirt on in the first ten minutes.

Nacho Libre

I don’t like Jack Black’s routine. I think it is forced, and relies too heavily on mugging. I have an impulsive disdain for his projects due to my low opinion of his routine. I like to be up front when I have a bias. I come to this film grudgingly.

“It didn’t suck.” were the words my long-suffering wife exclaimed when the final credits began to roll. This is as fair of a review as I could scratch together in my activity deprived brain. It didn’t suck.

Converse to it not sucking, it wasn’t great either. This is a mild film that doesn’t produce laughs, but then again it doesn’t create yawns neither…either…wait, no it’s neither…I always get this piece of grammar screwed up. When in doubt, pretend like you know what you’re doing…it doesn’t create yawns either. This film comes from the Nickelodeon stable, so the production was tempered to fit the restrictions of family faire. I was left with the impression that this may have been the reason the film seemed so neutered. It’s like listening to someone wanting to tell a story in all of its glory but forced to edit themselves on-the-fly because kids are in the room.

Jack Black stars as Ignacio, a friar who works at an orphanage who dreams of becoming a great wrestler. Through a series of uninspired plot twists, Ignacio goes out on the wrestling circuit with his companion Esqueleto. The two follow the obvious trajectory and once you are in the film, you can guess what will happen next. The story is paint-by-numbers, leaving the audience with little or no surprises. Since the film doesn’t roll out the laughs we are left with a meek film with a few interesting nuggets and some smile inducing moments.

Black is solid in the lead and manages a good performance. Since his material is bland, his efforts are essentially lost. He reverts to his mugging routines at times, in fits of what can only be described as acting tourettes. He’s a Mexican monk with a slight accent and then he turns into a Southern Californian smart-mouth for a few seconds. It seemed like he would fall back into being Jack Black when he needed filler to complete his scenes. The remainder of the cast is good. Héctor Jiménez as Esqueleto is a calming counter part to Black’s more manic persona. Ignacio’s love interest is a sweet little nun played by Ana de la Reguera. De la Reguera answers the question, “What would Penélope Cruz look like if she were pretty?” Both Jiménez and de la Reguera do well and are not overshadowed by the upstaging Black.

Overall, this film is not a complete waste of time. Then again neither (either, darn which is it?) is cleaning the pan under your refrigerator. I can’t recommend this film; I can’t endorse it neither…either…darn! I give the film some credit however, it has some good morality and presents Christians in a relatively good light. It doesn’t mock the faith, as one would expect, in fact, it defends it. For this I have to lean towards a recommendation…without actually giving it.


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posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 9:00 AM




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