Nacho Libre

Sky Movies Indie at 12:55pm (Other show times...)

An extremely silly movie, this Mexican wrestling comedy from 2006 sees Jack Black (pictured) trying to give a more subtle, less physical performance after School of Rock and Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.

Sadly it doesn't always work. Although it's a pleasant, sometimes endearing 88 minutes, there's quite a lot of ho-hum in between the occasional laughs. Black plays Nacho, a downtrodden chef at the Mexican orphanage where he grew up. Cheesed off at not being able to serve up anything that appeals to the growing kids, he devises a plan to become a "luchador" - a wrestler. Enlisting the emaciated Esqueleto the Skeleton (Héctor Jiménez), Black squeezes himself into some spandex in a bid to win cash for the orphans.

This bizarre turn of events does produce the film's finest line, as Black prances about in his quarters, trying on his colourful attire. "When you are a man," Nacho tells one of the orphans, "sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It's for fun."

Things hot up considerably when a new nun - Sister Encarnacion (Latin American soapstar Ana de la Reguera) - arrives at the monastery. Nacho tries to win her love, by offering her (of all things) some toast in his quarters. Bad idea.

While the film has its moments - this is Mexican wrestling with a portly actor tackling some rather bonkers opponents in the ring - it's not a classic, but is fine for the kids. Jared Hess, who directed Napoleon Dynamite, fails to produce consistent laughs and the film's potential is never properly fulfilled. Shame really.

Reviewer - Paul Strange

Cast Jack Black ... Nacho Ana de la Reguera ... Sister Encarnación Héctor Jiménez ... Esqueleto Darius Rose ... Chancho Moises Arias ... Juan Pablo Carlos Maycotte ... Segundo Nuñez Richard Montoya ... Guillermo Cesar Gonzalez ... Ramses Rafael Montalvo ... Elderly Monk Julio Sandoval ... Snaggle Tooth Monk Ventura 'Tigre Hispano' Lahoz ... Arena Referee Felipe Jesus 'Terror Chino' Hernandez ... Arena Referee Enrique Muñoz ... Señor Ramon Carla Jimenez ... Candidia Agustin 'Rigo' Rey ... Galindo Ricardo 'Caballero de la Muerte' Castillo ... Galindo Troy Gentile ... Young Nacho Donald Chambers ... Silencio Julio Escalero ... Ramses Trainer Peter Stormare ... Emperor Armando 'Mucha Crema' Gaytan ... Pro Announcer Rafael Gonzalez Lopez ... Pro Referee Antonio Salazar Gomez ... Ring Announcer Albert M. Madrid ... Paradise Lauro Chartrand ... Sage Filiberto Estrella ... Duende Gerson Virgen Lopez ... Duende Leobardo Magadan ... Commentator Jorge Valdés García ... Commentator Craig Williams ... El Snowflake Brett Chan ... Dynasty Mike Ching ... El Chino Abelardo 'El Pandita' Hernandez ... Muñeco Emiliano 'Dalia Negra' Quiroga ... Carlos Rosales Luis Garcia Rendon ... Mariachi Man Armando Tapia ... Monk Carlos Cesar Caballero ... Monk Feliciano Ramos Mendoza ... Amateur Announcer Carlos 'El Mimo' Acosta Barroso ... El Pony Ignacio 'Iñaqui Goci' Gonzalez Camarena ... El Semental Alfonso Ramírez ... Amateur Referee Miguel Angel Bonequi Trujillo ... Hacienda Tough Doorman Aaron Yamir Ramirez Esobar ... Young Street Kid Rodolfo Garcia Merino ... Motivational Coach María González ... Peasant Woman René Campero ... Wrestling Official Lisa Owen ... Nacho's Mother Cristóbal Puente ... Nacho's Father Zenaido Avendaño ... Usher Rosenda Hernandez ... Woman Joaquin Luis Jimenez ... Ashen Faced Man Ismael Garcia y Su Trio ... Mariachi Band Dominick Kurek Directed by Jared Hess Written by Jared Hess Jerusha Hess

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