Super Nacho

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.

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.

Just, watch the movie. It may seem like a dumb 2006 comedy movie with Jack Black, and that's exactly what it is. It's completely ridiculous and nonsensical, but if you have the right mind set (that being that this is a dumb movie with dumb jokes) you'll most likely enjoy yourself. It doesn't try to be something that it's not, it knows it's a stupid comedy with completely ridiculous jokes and it just is what it is. It's nothing great, really nothing special, no hidden meaning or religious messages it just kind of exist to exist. Just appreciate it for what it is. It has some outrageous jokes and some mediocre acting, but actually has a nice enjoyable plot with the main actors being as ridiculous as possible and honest a great soundtrack. Just trust me when I say to give it a watch, it's on Netflix and is short so you're really not wasting yo much of your time if you don't like it. A lot of great memorable moments and very nostalgic for me, and for me and my family it's a cult-classic.

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?

This movie is based on a real priest, Rev. Sergio Gutierrez Benitez. who has been in over 4,000 matches over the past 23 years. His ring name is Fray Tormenta ("Friar Storm" in Spanish)and he does wrestle under the mask in Mexico to support an orphanage. The story was on the CBS evening news and a couple of the news magazine shows several years ago. Every now and then you either see, or read something about him.

I watch movies to be entertained. If I wanted "deep thought" I'd go to a library. This is Jack Black being Jack Black. The dialog is crude, humor slapstick, and storyline so, so. But it's funny.

I wouldn't buy it for my personal collection, but it's good for an evening of rental movies at home.