Nacho Libre

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Nacho Libre is basic Jack Black for the junior high school set. The fact that it's a Nickelodeon production should be fair warning to anyone expecting anything other than a lightweight Three Stooges imitation that substitutes farts for wit. The movie exists solely for Black to mug for the camera and squeeze himself into red-and-blue spandex. As Nacho, Black is a friar at an orphanage who dons a mask in his downtime to earn money for the children. Along with his sidekick Esqueleto (a monosyllabic Hector Jimenez), he sets out to conquer the world of Lucha Libre and battle all challengers, from mighty to midget. There's a Penelope Cruz look-alike love interest (Ana de la Reguera) and even musical interludes where Black tries to shine with his cheesy songs. Here's where the film makes you long for the comic Black attacks of High Fidelity or even Tenacious D, but his humor seems forced this time. The film's weak script, pinned from the opening bell, offers nothing to laugh at beyond Black's funny faces and self-deprecating fat jokes. As the follow-up for Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess, you would expect a smart/dumb summer comedy. Unfortunately, all you get is dumb.<