Movie Review: Nacho Libre
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know this movie contains a lot of comic
action - including some training sessions where Ignacio gets
splattered by food and attacked by bees -- and some violence in
the wrestling ring (body slams, flying leaps, one character
gets a corn cob in the eyesocket). Basically, the stuff
11-year-old boys everywhere will love with nothing to alarm the
parents. Some of Nacho's opponents are quirky characters,
including some feral dwarf wrestlers.
Families can talk about the importance of helping others. Do
you have particular gifts (i.e. music, art, ability to talk
with others) that could be used to help others? Is it ok for
Ignacio to become a masked wrestler, even though the church
elders frown on it? Are his motives - helping the orphans - a
good enough reason to become a masked wrestler? And how does
the Lucha Libre wrestling bring the Mexican community
together?
Ignacio (Jack Black) is a cook at the Mexican monastery where he was raised. But he just doesn't fit in. He cares deeply for the orphans he feeds, but the food is terrible. He decides to make money to buy better food for the kids, and while he's at it, impress the lovely Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera). When he discovers he has a natural talent for wrestling, he becomes "Nacho Libre," a masked wrestler who takes matches for cash. His training partner, Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez) puts him through his paces, but not without inflicting bodily harm during training sessions. A major flaw in Nacho's plan is that wrestling is strictly forbidden by the church elders at the monastery. So he's forced to lead a double life, concealing his true identity with a sky blue mask and painfully tight wrestling garb. For the first time in his life, Ignacio fits in and has something to fight for. He tries explaining this to Sister Encarnacion, but she tells him, "Wrestling is a sin. When you fight for someone who needs your help, only then will God bless you."
Given the offbeat nature of director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), the star (School of Rock), and the writer (Mike White, who wrote The Good Girl and School of Rock), this movie is destined to go down as a cult classic, with lines you'll be quoting for years. It's funny and silly, with some of the best writing and characters around. Jack Black (who also produced the movie) is surprisingly agile in the ring, and Hector Jimenez is a scene stealer.
Even if you don't "get" this type of goofy humor, Nacho Libre is still a sweet movie with a good message about caring for others -- even if Jack Black in tight pants is an image you'd just as soon forget.
Napoleon DynamiteSchool of Rock
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