...a stupid, unfunny movie that shows that intellectual bankruptcy in the executive suites of Hollywood continues into the 21st century.
Nacho Libre (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:159
Fresh:62
Rotten:97
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: At times hilarious, but other times offensive, Director Jared Hess is unable to recapture the collective charisma of his Napoleon characters, instead relying on a one-joke concept that runs out of steam. Sure to entertain the adolescents, however.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $80,197,993
Synopsis: Celebrating the triumphs and tribulations of the lovable loser is no easy thing, but filmmaker Jared Hess seems to thrive in this specific cinematic exercise. Working fresh off the success of... Celebrating the triumphs and tribulations of the lovable loser is no easy thing, but filmmaker Jared Hess seems to thrive in this specific cinematic exercise. Working fresh off the success of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, Hess finds a similarly endearing hero-without-a-clue in Ignacio, played by Jack Black (HIGH FIDELITY, KING KONG), the title character in NACHO LIBRE. Ignacio, growing up in a poor monastery in Mexico, has dreamed of being a professional wrestler since childhood. This obsession has led him to a thankless adult existence as monastery whipping-boy and chef, serving stale, day-old nacho chips to finicky orphans. In an effort to earn the respect of new nun-hottie Sister Encarnacion (Ana De La Reguera) and escape the monastery into the greedy excess of pro wrestling, Ignacio enters a local amateur competition. Along the way, he picks up the notably scrawny yet tough street urchin Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez) as his tag-team partner. The duo hilariously loses badly and repeatedly to all manner of local wrestling oddities. It is only when Ignacio recognizes a higher goal than money and glory that he can truly compete with his professional idols, including the dreaded and evil champion Ramses. Co-written with Hess's writing partner and wife, Jerusha, and noted screenwriter Mike White (CHUCK & BUCK, SCHOOL OF ROCK), NACHO LIBRE is stocked with real-life wrestlers doing their thing. Jack Black's over-the-top physical humor blends in perfectly with repeated viewings of his "stretchie pants" and timely flatulence. In concert, the elements fuse to distill a comedy that should appeal to all ages eager to be pinned down in a full-nelson by laughter. [More]
Starring: Jack Black, Ana DeLa Reguera, Hector Jiminez, Peter Stormare
Starring: Jack Black, Ana DeLa Reguera, Hector Jiminez, Peter Stormare, Darius Rose
Director: Jared Hess
Director: Jared Hess
Screenwriter: Mike White, Jerusha Hess
Producer: Mike White, Jack Black
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Nacho Libre
'So NACHO LIBRE is not about free Doritos but any way it is from that Jared guy that made that totally bogus movie about me and its pretty SA-WEET any way!' [says Napoleon Dynamite]
The movie manages to float...on the capable shoulders of the dementedly talented Black and a well chosen supporting cast.
If it makes me laugh for part of it, and I smile for the rest, then I can recommend it, even if it's for the most part dumb as a post.
I liked the movie, but I would like it more if NAPOLEON DYNAMITE didn't exist to show how much the same it is.
Pictures like this exist because people are used to lowering their expectations so much that they're actually irked when someone doesn't.
As a certain tenacious rocker once intoned, you barely passed the test, Jack. You know what you got? F plus. Click.
Nacho Libre strikes a delicate balance of whimsy and absurdity that may surprise auds primed to expect wall-to-wall slapstick.
It's a one-gag film that rises or falls on how funny you find the sight of fat, grease-slicked Jack Black crammed into spandex pants and capering like an epileptic lamb.
The film's sheer lack of everything that customarily passes for comic fuel -- energy, wit, character, fun, a plot -- renders Nacho Libre a torturous patience tester of the first order.
Some things work well, but many are strained in execution. There are times Nacho Libre looks like it's struggling to find a reason to continue.
The comedy is hit and miss, with good bits interrupted by dead patches.
A little too cute and mushy to exploit [Black's] driven, full-blast talent.
[Jack Black] dives headlong into the physical stunts and the bizarre wackiness with so much enthusiasm, you can't help but enjoy yourself.
After a promising beginning, Nacho Libre goes off the rails with its over-the-top satire and intentional campiness failing to generate many laughs.
This shrill, obnoxious wrestling comedy stumbles to the mat in its first minutes and stays there. The blow is mortal. As movies go, this one is brain dead.
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