Anyone familiar with Jared Hess and his awkward sense of humor will know exactly what to expect from his latest film, Nacho Libre. Hess took pop culture by storm two years ago with his indie comedy, Napoleon Dynamite which featured John Hedder as a lanky high schooler with chapped lips (there's one in every school) and Tina Majorino, also known as the girl from Andre. Though everyone may fast forward through the dance scene at the end, Dynamite has become one of the most quoted movies (until the release of last year's 40 Year Old Virgin.) Hess was able to create a very indie very weird film with a PG rating that everybody and their mom (who, by the way, goes to college,) loved, and sold more "Vote for Pedro" shirts than one can even imagine. In going into Nacho Libre, (meaning, "Free Nacho,") I wondered, could he do it again? Could his out-there, slow paced humor carry another PG movie to a pop-cult favorite? And could Jack Black, who surprised us all in King Kong, be not Jack-Black-y?
The answer to the first question... is yet to be determined since the height of Dynamite's popularity was after it's release on video. And the answer to the second question, is... almost.
The story of Nacho, a half Mexican, half Scandinavian (which explains the paleness) brother in a small Catholic Church somewhere in Mexico is a very simple one. Nacho has been in the brotherhood all his life, an outcast, who feels that he does not fit in. He desires to be a fighter (un luchador) and feels that it is his goal in life to achieve this. A pretty nun enters, played by Ana de la Reguera, a poor, dirty Mexican joins, played by Hector Jimenez, and a small boy named Chancho (Darius Rose) gets his hopes up.
Besides the style of Dynamite, Nacho also breaks conventions, meaning it doesn't follow the typical movie formula. Although this film follows much more of a story line than Hess' first, which, arguably, had no story line at all, it doesn't trail along the pattern of every under-dog/boy-meets-girl movie. Audiences expect that typical story, however, which makes this stand out (in a good way.) It's definitely not the same old, same old.
The addition of big name Jack Black to the cast was very shocking to me at first. Jack has a tendency to play very similar characters in most of his movies, but never ceases to amaze me. Those who thought he was just another dirty comedian were stunned by the incredibly kid-friendly and encouraging School of Rock. That answered the question, could Jack Black be PG............13? And most surprising of all was his being cast in Peter Jackson's King Kong released last year. That answered the question, could Jack Black play anyone other than Jack Black? Now, could he do it again? As I said before, almost. He was doing very well, actually, at keeping his character (although, you'd think he'd be able to afford a better linguistic coach... I believe he crossed into a little Italian, maybe even some boderline French at points.) The part that really annoyed me was his song (which is completely spoiled by the trailer... you all know it, "I ate some bugs, I ate some grass...") that he, Nacho, wrote for Sister Encarnacion (Reguera.) Suddenly, I remembered that we were watching Jack Black, and as I saw him mock guitar chords, I knew I had been taken out of the film.
Nacho Libre is the result of a tiny, miraculous low-budget indie film director becoming a huge success and getting a bigger budget. It is a fun film, and definitely something I found humorous at times, but, as with Napoleon Dynamite, something better left until it comes out on DVD. If you did not enjoy Hess' first film, odds are, you will not like this one, since the style and humor is very similar. It's goofy and silly, and ended positively; definitely appropriate for all ages, though I'm not sure if it could hold the attention span of an 8 year old. Again, fun, but nothing spectacular.
Overall Grade: B-
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