Family Friendly Pick: Nacho Libre (2006)
When Napoleon Dynamite hit its rampaging streak of success in 2004, nobody was even wondering what brothers Jared and Jerusha Hess would come up with next to match the infinitely quotable success of their indie debut. Had you told any middle schooler wearing a “Vote For Pedro” shirt that their follow up effort would follow a Mexican Friar who led a hidden life as a masked luchador, they would have laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. You still might, but it doesn’t make the existence of Nacho Libre any less real.
The Hess brothers took a huge risk moving their second film so far away from the hilariously surreal suburbs they inhabited before, but for the most part, their trademark quirk and a reliably goofy performance from Jack Black made Nacho Libre an underdog success similar to the luchador himself.
Black stars as Ignacio, a Mexican cook at an orphanage that can only afford to feed their children tortilla chips. After being robbed of the chips one night, Ignacio decides to moonlight as a luchador to raise money to provide the orphans with better food. Hijinks ensue, laughs are had and all is well at the end of the day.
Much of your feelings towards Nacho Libre will directly correlate with your feelings towards Jack Black, but if you can’t get enough of the pudgy comedian, then this is one of his best works in recent memory. Similar to Napoleon Dynamite, the movie is full of hilarious moments and quotes (my favorites involved secret tunnels and a certain vegetable in Nacho’s face), but it’s also got heart.
With that said, this pick may resonate with the younger ones a bit more than the parents, but there are still enough winks to the older audience members to keep them entertained and grinning. It’s a just a sweet, goofy story. Nothing mind blowing or quirkily infectious, but Nacho Libre is worth more than few laughs.
