Written by: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, Mike White
Starring: Jack Black, Peter Stormare, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez, Silver King
Rating: [3.5/5]
Fighting for those who need it is one of the nobler things one can dedicate their time towards as you do the necessary advocacy for those who cannot do it themselves. This can be done through many methods, but in Nacho Libre we see this occur in the wresting ring as a friar decides to follow his dream and become a wrestler in the lucha libre scene. With many ridiculous absurdities but a true lovely core at the center, this film works wonderfully.
Working as a friar and cook at the Oaxaca monastery orphanage, where he was raised as an orphan, Ignacio (Jack Black) does what he can to give these kids the best experience he can. He also has a passion for professional wrestling, and when given the opportunity, he’s able to earn some money that he pumps right back into the orphanage. The only problem is he must do this in secret, as at the monastery, wrestling is seen as a sin of vanity.
While on paper Nacho Libre sounds like the silliest plot synopsis one could possibly think of, leave it to Jared Hess to make it all work. A story of a man who dreams of becoming a wrestler and does it with no proper training or the equipment. Just the heart to make this all work and have his winnings support the children he deeply cares for. There’s a ridiculousness to this movie that stretches from its casting of Jack Black to the actions of the various characters, but in the end the film more than makes up for it in the way it explores the lucha libre scene.
Taking place in Oaxaca, Ignacio’s path to becoming a professional displays the various levels that exist in the wrestling world in Mexico and the culture surrounding it. Most Americans know of the masked culture and the different moves utilized because of Rey Mysterio in the WWE, but this film strips down all of the glamour and displays the reality and humanity involved. It surely does not portray the scene like Cassandro, but we’re also in this for the comedy on display, and we get plenty of that. Just as we get some insight into the wrestling world, it also plays with the idea that these wrestlers live like celebrities in these towns. You have someone like Ramses (Silver King), whom Ignacio looks up to and how in all instances throughout the film, even at a party, he keeps his mask on. The mystique of these wrestlers does not end when they leave the ring, further displaying what makes it such a fascinating culture.
Ignacio immediately becomes an endearing character because of his love for these orphans. Every day he needs to prepare them meals to eat and barely has the funds to buy them beans and tortillas to make the most basic meal imaginable. He has this general loud awkwardness to him that makes Jack Black a good casting choice for him, and it allows him to pair well with Steven (Héctor Jiménez), as the two become a decently formidable wrestling duo. Given how these two meet and the way they come together to form a pair, it makes for the best jokes this film has to offer. From the moment Ignacio baptizes him to their initial meeting where Steven robs him of some tortillas, the adventures these two go through in their wrestling journey have this film working at its best. These two share many quotable lines together as they go through the gauntlet of lucha libre, but it makes their friendship all the more admirable.
Knowing very well this film has its issues and nostalgia may play a role in how much I enjoy Nacho Libre, there’s something about the silliness imbued in this story that makes it something that keeps a nice place in my heart. Seeing the way Ignacio changes the lives of these orphans when he makes money as Nacho allows for a sense of joy and purpose that coincides with the lead character also following his dreams. The wrestling scenes themselves look quite fun, as they show the different conditions and rules at various levels of this pyramid. Couple Jared Hess and Jack Black as a lead character, and it makes for something over the top and enjoyable.
