Nacho Libre

Nacho (Black) lives in a monastery in Mexico where he cooks for the orphaned children who dwell there. He has big dreams of becoming a professional wrestler and gaining the respect of new monastery meat Sister Encarnacion (de la Reguera), as well as earning enough dough to keep the parentless ones in food. Comedies by their very definition are incredibly subjective affairs. One man's laugh-fest is another's tumbleweed, and a lot depends on your mood when you sit down to watch. Nacho Libre employs a very specific style of comedy; it's slapstick, but played very straight and is often quite laugh out loud funny. The main reasons for this are the cast, who play their roles with pretty impeccable timing; it may be funny 'cos its stupid, but still - it's funny. Jack Black gives another now trademark vigorous performance, looking like a skinny man in a fat suit, by way of Burt Reynolds. But this movie belongs to Black's ring partner Esqueleto (Jimenez), who just has one of those faces that makes you chuckle before he opens his mouth. He and Black are a well-balanced combination, playing well to the film's strengths - quirky characters, minimalist dialogue. When Libre zooms in on plot, though, the film inevitably struggles; but the scenes of exposition are generally well set up and relatively short so the kids won't get too bored. It's also a very nicely shot film, with Napoleon Dynamite director Hess showing a nice visual style that works perfectly in synch with the tone. Ultimately Nacho Libre may not have humour broad enough to appeal to the masses - some will find the pace slow and the characters annoying - but even they have to laugh at two Satanic midgets biting Jack Black on the ass.