Nacho Libre

We went and saw Nacho Libre last night. It was really funny, and if you liked Napoleon Dynamite, you will probably like this, but I can see that it's not for everyone (neither movie is). I happened to like Napoleon Dynamite a lot, and I like Jack Black, so I got a double whammy of fun. Jared Hess (the director and a co-writer of both films) has a very distinctive style, that is immediately evident. He's not much for smooth pacing, but he uses his stuttering pacing and odd camera angles for effect. Also, I've noticed that a lot of his characters are very dull and low energy (think Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite), which is used effecively as well.

But anyway, this show looked to be an opportunity for Jack Black and Hector Jiminez to mug onscreen. There was no subtlety of emotion here, it was a broadly played farce from beginning to end. It seemed that nearly every scene was an attempt by the actor to make a face that would make the audience laugh, and about half the time, that's where the laughter came from. That combined with the odd pacing made for a strange moviegoing experience, but once I let my mind go in that direction (and it took a noticible shift), I had a lot of fun.

The story isn't complex. Ignacio (Jack Black) is a monk who dreams of becoming a wrestler, but he needs another guy to help him compete. He is accosted by a vagrant on the street (Hector Jiminez), and eventually tries to get him to join in the wrestling. He proceeds to fight, trying to woo the hot nun who just showed up at the monastery, and using his winnings (they pay him even when he loses, which he does frequently) to help the monastery out. The plot has more progression than that, but really, if you're going, you're going for the humor more than the story.

So I recommend this, but if you don't have a goofy sense of humor like me or Heidi, you'll probably want be in a goofy mood and/or have a drink ahead of time (note that it's not a movie you have to be drunk to enjoy, but a drink will facilitate the shift in thinking).