Nacho Libre

Jack Black

Herald rating: * * *

Take Jack Black as a simple, wrestling obsessed friar, a poor Mexican monastery, and a bunch of cute orphans and you've got the main ingredients for the latest flick from the Hess brothers, who were responsible for the indie cult classic Napoleon Dynamite.

Sound ridiculous? Well it is, and you can only presume it's supposed to be, as stupid fun would be an accurate way of describing this film.

Written by Jerusha and Jared Hess and Mike White, Nacho Libre is far from being a classic. It doesn't have the wit, the uncomfortable stillness or the quirky catchphrases of Napoleon Dynamite. The characters are once again smalltown eccentric individuals but that's about all the two films have in common.

Jack Black's comedic impact as Ignacio, the naive monastery cook who harbours dreams of being a wrestling champion, comes from constantly striking a pose and wriggling his energetic eyebrows.

When he learns of a wrestling tournament to be held in the town square, he decides to fulfil his childhood ambition and convinces skeletal street urchin Esqueleto (Jimenez) to join him as his tag team partner in the fights. Amazingly the two of them not only survive the bouts but earn themselves some cash, which Nacho uses to buy fresh food for the orphanage.

Nacho Libre isn't an awful way to spend an hour and a half, but it's a shame the film runs out of steam halfway through, when the double-life story of a plump priest in pale blue tights and red undies desperate to find glory and raise money to help the orphans starts to wear thin.

Black should be praised for his self-deprecating performance. It's his character's humility and readiness to prance around like an idiot that makes the film watchable until the end, and regardless of the fact that many of the gags aren't new, Black somehow manages to get a laugh out of you.

Cast: Jack Black, Hector Jimenez, Troy Gentile, Moises Arias, Lauro Chartrand
Director: Jared Hess
Running time: 92 mins
Rating: PG, medium-level violence
Screening: Village, Hoyts and Berkeley
Verdict: An amusing but disappointing follow-up from creators of Napoleon Dynamite