Nacho Libre

Classic Jack Black and a simple, fun, feel-good film. Light-hearted and utterly ridiculous, Black performs as his silly self (with a Mexican accent) and whilst the film doesn't utilise jokes, it's goofiness directs the narrative. Black's accent can go wayward at times - especially when he is singing and loses all character - but the story is fun and the choreography is pretty impressive at times.

Much to my surprise, as I begrudgingly went to the movies with my 12 yr old son, I LOVED this film. I expected nothing, yet in return, I received a wonderful 1 hour and 40 minute respite from the real world, filled with slapstick humor and total silliness. Slapstick humor always walks a tightrope between bad taste and belly laughs. The Three Stooges are mind-numbingly inane: most laugh intensely and some never get the joke. Laurel and Hardy isn't for everyone either. Nacho Libre is not filled with Woody Allen irony, it doesn't have Christopher Guest's drollness, and it's not James Brook slick. It's not sophisticated humor! How can any film featuring Jack Black as a Mexican friar/fryer/wrestler/wannabe wooer ... all for the "good of the orphans" be taken seriously? It's simply for the 12 year old boy in all of us who laughs when Moe hits Curly and laughs when fat guys, even with over the top Mexican accents, are paired with skinny guys ... in a wrestling ring ... with stretchy pants.

I originally wrote this as a reply to a poster who asked if the mean IQ of people who liked this was 93, but the post was subsequently deleted. But to him I say, "By the way, I'm a physician and my IQ is a tad over 93. But even if I had no job at all and even if my IQ was 93 ... who cares ... I laughed, with my son, eating popcorn, in the dark. And that's the joy of sharing a movie like this." No es?

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.

This is a great movie filled with plenty of fun laughs and a genuinely fulfilling underdog story. Jack Black shines with a classic performance and the set and tone perfectly encapsulates the entire film. This knows the story they are telling and approach it with tenderness and care for all the characters involved. Fans of Napoleon Dynamite will love this film as it feels almost like a spiritual successor. Well rounded cast of fun and delightful supporting characters which paints this small community and makes you truly root for Nacho's story. Cannot say enough great things about this movie. If you haven't checked this one out it's filled with heart and joy. Plenty of jokes in there for the adults to quote and slap stick moments sure to delight the kiddos watching. So underrated and definitely worth a watch.

"Nacho Libre" contains much of the same dry, deadpan humor that made "Napoleon Dynamite" so much fun to watch. I'm sure Jared Hess's brand of humor is not for everybody. We're living in an era where Dane Cook is our top comedian. So if you're expecting the same loud, obnoxious gags you see in most comedies nowadays, you'll probably be disappointed. I, on the other hand, love this type of humor. Just like in "ND," the actors don't try hard to be funny. Jack Black is not very convincing as a Mexican. With his skin so white, he sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the cast. But that's no big criticism. This is a comedy farce, and if his accent didn't sound so phony, I doubt his character would be nearly as funny. As an extra treat for all the "ND" fans out there, his character is paired off with a soft-spoken Mexican buddy. They make a good comic team, with Jack being so short and fat, and his buddy being so tall and thin. I tend to just roll my eyes at many of the crude gags I see in movies nowadays, but I even enjoyed the bathroom humor in this movie. I found myself laughing most of the way through, and this is one of the rare cases where I felt that the film lived up to its trailer. Some of the funniest gags were given away in the trailer, but there are many other funny gags that weren't. If I have any complaints, the movie does sort of drag in the third act. But all in all, "Nacho Libre" is good fun for the entire family. I can't wait to see Jared Hess's next project.