Nacho Libre

Nothing special about the movie but if you like a hearty laugh, the Jack Black style, this movie is for you!

SYNOPSIS:
Nacho is a man without skills. After growing up in a Mexican monastery, he is now a grown man and the monastery's cook, but doesn't seem to fit in. Nacho cares deeply for the orphans he feeds, but his food is terrible--mostly, if you ask him, a result of his terrible ingredients. He realizes he must hatch a plan to make money to buy better food for "the young orphans, who have nothing" (and if in doing so Nacho can impress the lovely Sister Encarnacion, that would be a big plus). When Nacho is struck by the idea to earn money as a Lucha Libre wrestler, he finds that he has a natural, raw talent for wrestling. As he teams with his rail-thin, unconventional partner, Esqueleto (the Skeleton), Nacho feels for the first time in his life that he has something to fight for and a place where he belongs. As Lucha is strictly forbidden by the church elders at the monastery, Nacho is forced to lead a double life. Disguised by a sky blue mask, Nacho conceals his true identity as he takes on Mexico's most famous wrestlers and takes on a hilarious quest to make life a little sweeter at the orphanage.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Untitled (Nickelodeon/Jack Black Project)
Genres: Comedy and Sports
Running Time: 1 hr. 31 min.
Release Date: June 16th, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG for rough action, and crude humor including dialogue.
Distributors: Paramount Pictures, United International Pictures
Production Co.: Black & White Productions, Nickelodeon Movies
Studios: Paramount Pictures
U.S. Box Office: $80,197,993
Filming Locations: Oxaca, Mexico; Los Angeles, California USA
Produced in: United States

I have been looking forward to watching this movie for sometime now. Mainly because I liked the idea of a new superhero with bulges everywhere. Cool! I am glad that a DivX copy is finally out! Thursday Night, movie night. Miki and I was choosing between The Da Vinci Code and Nacho Libre. Since we were both not in the mood for philosophizing, we opted for comedy (which was what I was hoping for since I have already read and watched The Da Vinci Code). I am just glad that the movie didn't fail my expectations. It's great to be entertained by a good moviewith no philosophical underpinnings whatsoever.

What I liked about this movie:

1. It is not star-studded but the actors that were picked were visually apt to play the roles. I especially liked Eskeleto, the sidekick who reminded me so much of a college friend. It’s more of a physical resemblance actually. I also liked his portrayal of a “lampayatot” but loyal friend to Nacho.
2. The music haunted me! I am referring to Religious Man.
3. Jack Black and his weird roles, liked it so much. The guy is adventurous when it comes to his projects and I think I like the variation. There’s really not much likeable comedy in the theaters lately.
4. I liked the Latino setting. A third for me this year – to watch a movie with the Latino touch! The first was Fun with Dick and Jane where their son called their TV – telemundo and his favorite cartoon character – Spongha Roberto Kwadrado Pantalones aka Sponge Bob Square Pants! The second was Adam Sandler’s Spanglish which dealt with their Latina housemaid who was learning the American lifestyle through her interaction with her employer and her daughter. Hmmmmm, am I just biased against the American brand of comedy?
5. The story line was so simple but effective! Talk about running away from your destiny and finding yourself being haunted by it. It teaches children to believe that they can be who they want to be despite the odds. And it’s a good feeling.