Nacho Libre

last updated 8 January 2015

If you don't expect much, it's easy to giggle through Nacho Libre, said David Frese in The Kansas City Star. It ain't exactly an Oscar prospect, but the sight of Jack Black's belly in spandex should keep this movie's core demographic happy. Black plays Ignacio, a cook who decides to follow his dream to become a luchador'”the Mexican equivalent of a professional wrestler. He transforms himself into Nacho, a mustachioed avenger with an accent that seems to come alternately from rural Mexico, Castro's Cuba, and 'œthat faraway island nation of Bongistan.' 'œTwo contradictory aesthetics are at work here'”the deadpan and the body-slam,' said Michael Phillips in the Chicago Tribune. Co-written by School of Rock's Mike White and directed by Napoleon Dynamite's Jared Hess, Nacho Libre finds itself in a comedy no man's land somewhere between the two. Where Napoleon was ironic and Rock was sincere, Nacho Libre falls flat on its face. It's possible that this movie will grow on me, but I seriously doubt it, said Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly. Movies such as Anchorman and The Cable Guy disappointed fans at first look, but those same fans came back, bought the DVD, and watched it a hundred more times. But the lovable losers in those movies had a 'œglimmer of soul' that kept viewers engaged. Nacho Libre's just a fat guy in tight pants.

Rating: PG