When I heard that Jack Black would be playing a Mexican Friar who moonlighted as a luchador in Jared Hess' next project I got very happy, because I knew this would be a funny movie. The trailers for the film advertised exactly what this movie was, and that was pure physical comedy. The story is about Nacho, a Friar who wants the fame and fortune that is associated with being a luchador after living the same old life over and over each day. He then realizes that this journey to become a professional wrestler is not for himself but for the orphans whom he looks after and cooks for at the orphanage.* * *

The movie is basically Jack Black running around with his shirt off for an hour and a half while sporting a fake mustache and a funny Mexican accent. While the majority of the comedy in the film is physical, there are some hilarious lines in the film that are delivered with the right spunk by Black. There are also some great physical scenes in and outside the ring that shows just how great of a physical comedian Black is. The movie is incredibly stupid, but it's also so very funny. If you enjoy pure silly comedy executed perfectly then this movie is just the thing you need. Don't expect another Napoleon Dynamite because this is not a reincarnation of Hess' previous cult hit. He uses the same style of shooting the movie though by using a lot of wide symmetrically balanced shots. Personally, I laughed harder at this then I did with Napoleon Dynamite. Napoleon Dynamite had some great one-liners, but Nacho Libre overall is just plain silly fun. Don't take the film seriously at all, just sit back and laugh. * * *

Image & Sound:

Paramount consistently delivers good transfers, not great, but good. I was rather pleased with the transfer since this movie needed a good one. Hess loves to paint obscure color palettes in his scenes. In one scene everything may be mud colored and muted, but the next we will be in the wrestling wring with bright vivid colors. The transfer is pretty good, it delivers consistently great picture. It was a little soft here and there, but no flaws you would notice just by watching. ---

The behind the scenes featurettes are aimed more at being entertaining that informative. I mean, there really isn't much to discuss about the film, it's a pretty straight forward comedic movie. The deleted scenes give us more Jack Black fun, but we can see why they were chosen to be taken out, mostly they created awkward pacing. Then we have some kid friendly stuff in the form of a comic book and a luchador mask making kit. Paramount is not known for being the leader in bonus material, but then again this movie doesn't beg for extensive featurettes.

Final Words: