"Nacho Libre" is one of those movies that they crank out from time to time with absolutely no pretense about being totally goofy. The movie has no artistic value, and doesn't pretend to. It's an excuse to see Jack Black be his usual crazy self, which he does without even trying.

I will say that it's not the funniest movie that I've ever seen. At times, the whole thing seems like kind of a cliché, what with him trying to make something of himself. But like I said, they make no pretense about being anything but silly, unadulterated fun.

So, just expect to have a nice, brainless time while watching it. Even if, like me, you're not really into pro-wrestling, it's still possible to like the movie. And besides, Sister Encarnacion is really hot!

This Jack Black comedy sees him playing Nacho, a young monk working as a cook in the remote Mexican monastery/orphanage where he was raised. As a child he dreamt of becoming a luchador, wrestler, but this is forbidden as such activities are seen as a sign of vanity. He regularly goes into town to get food for the orphans and one day he is robbed by a street thief, Steven. Shortly afterwards he sees champion masked luchador Ramses being mobbed by fans... he has a plan. He persuades Steven to become a tag-wrestler with him; if he wears a mask the monastery won't find out what he is doing. They aren't very good at wrestling but still they get paid so continue, determined to get better and turn professional so he can buy a bus for the orphans and thus impress the attractive Sister Encarnación.

Not surprisingly this film is very silly; thankfully it also provides lots of laughs. Much of this is physical with fights that are funny but still feel like the characters are wrestling and some hilarious training scenes. Jack Black is hilarious as Nacho; his put-on Mexican accent is so ridiculous it is funny rather than offensive. Héctor Jiménez is equally funny as his wrestling partner Steven. The rest of the cast are solid although their characters are mostly not comically. The story doesn't deliver any real surprises but it does serve to deliver the laughs. Overall this may be fairly light weight but I'd recommend it to anybody wanting a good laugh and little to cause offence.

From PASTO, COLOMBIA-Via: L. A. CA; CALI, COLOMBIA &ORLANDO, FL

Nacho Libre barely had 10 million(US) at its disposal to cover the cost of its production. With the exception of Jack Black(School of Rock, King Kong), there really is no cast member who is well-known outside of the USA. In the Hispanic world, Ana de la Reguera is known for numerous appearances in soap operas and movies, but for the English-speaking audience, she is a complete unknown...at least until the release of Nacho Libre.

Directed and written by Jared Hess(Napoleon Dynamite) a director who has gained a well-earned reputation for going against all the Hollywood rules of "Formula". To enjoy the schizophrenic world of Nacho Libre, however, you don't have to be to be a genius. It is a uniquely original and zany vision that no one could possibly confuse with reality. However, it is the kind of film that does not frame itself very well in high expectations. It is somewhat counterproductive to announce beforehand, "Oh, now here we have a very amusing and hilarious movie". (Despite the fact that for my wife, Carmen and I, "LIBRE" most certainly was both!)

Perhaps the main attraction here is a surreal simplicity, innocence and freshness, and that its basic raison d'etre is so utterly hair-brained and absurd...but in the best possible way! Shouldn't go into much more detail here, so as not to ruin it for you with anything resembling a Spoiler. But taking this into account, I will dare to offer the following observations: Another interesting element of LIBRE is that, seemingly, it was made tailored to seek out a new market in the United States...The bilingual movie buff! (at least "new" in relation to film production.) Jack Black is listed as the sole producer. That is, he put up his own money betting there would be a receptive bilingual viewing audience segment! .

It must be noted, however, that there are a number of attempts at humor that flat out do not work in LIBRE. But these flubs, fortunately, are handily outnumbered by scenes that DO produce considerable laughter. The sight of Nacho Libre and his tag-teammate "Esqueleto" ("Skeleton") wrestling and taking on the world is about as close as I ever want to come to dying of laughter! The love songs composed and sung by Jack Black are so slapstick operatic exaggerated, so insanely ridiculous and so poorly rendered, that they end up being immensely entertaining.

Most certainly, Nacho Libre is not a classic of the Seventh Art that will be much debated ten years in the future. But it definitely will keep you laughing a lot during an hour and a half of your life!

8*.... ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!!!