| Product: |
Nacho Libre (DVD) |
| Date: |
01/02/07 (83 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Funny, strange, interesting, Jack Black
Disadvantages: Strange, grim, odd, Jack Black
There’re some movie stars that divide an audience more than a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. In the field of comedy this is even truer as one persons rib tickling funny man would drive another person to throw themselves out of the nearest window, no matter how many stories up they are. Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Will Ferral have all risen to the top of their profession even though 50% of people can not stand their films. In recent years another actor has risen from the comedy ranks to try and become one of these love them or hate them stars – Jack Black. With as many good films, ‘School of Rock’, as bad ‘Orange County’, the jury is still out on whether he will make it. So if Jack Black is not a guaranteed box office draw how come he gets leading roles? ‘Nacho Libre’ shows that Black has a dynamic energy that will make fans of his watch anything he is in.
Nacho (Jack Black) is a monk in rural Mexico during the 70s. Many of the trappings of modern society have yet to filter through to this remote part of the world, but 70s hair and wrestling certainly have. Nacho has always wanted to become a professional wrestler and when he sees the opportunity to raise money for his orphanage he decides to join with ‘The Skeleton’ to create a tag team. Calling himself Nacho Libre, he fights in a mask to hide his true identity. When a new Nun arrives at the orphanage Nacho finds himself wanting to impress her, but how can he when he is a masked fighter? With wrestling forbidden by the brotherhood can Nacho succeed as a wrestler, woe a nun, and keep his role as a monk?
The stand out element of this film was not the bombastic performance by Jack Black, but the direction and feel of the film. ‘Nacho Libre’ is Jared Hess’ second film after the cult success of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’. I have to be honest in saying that I found ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ a very slow film that was not actually that funny. In essence ‘Nacho Libre’ has a very similar pace to Napoleon but due to better direction and a funnier setting, it works a lot better. Hess has infused the film with a level of griminess that reminds you of Terry Gilliam’s early work. He has created a whimsical, yet cynical, story that is just on the right side of eccentric. The film is slow in parts, but that is to highlight the poverty and strange characters that inhabit the film. An overly fast edit or pace would not have worked for this film.
The otherworldly feel is maintained in the film by a great selection of music. With an original score coupled with obscure Hispanic music Hess has created a vibe in the film that just works perfectly. The nearest thing I can equate it to is the tone of Wes Anderson films such as ‘A Life Aquatic’ or ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Like these films, the style of ‘Nacho Libre’ will certainly divide audiences. I for one loved the ambiance; however, I can imagine that many people will see the film as either slow or taking too many liberties with poor stereotypes of Mexico. However, if you take the film in the spirit of a harmless comedy there is plenty to enjoy.
Another aspect of the film that may split audiences is Jack Black. He is certainly an actor that you can love to hate. Every comedy role that he takes seems to be far too over the top and this is the case here. As Nacho, Black is able to be at his eccentric best, wailing at the screen and throwing himself into the action. The film lives or dies by Black’s central performance and I for one think that he does a very good job. However, if you are not a fan of his more out-there work, you will probably hate this film. In the future I hope to see Black appear in a more restrained role as he is a very good actor and is moving towards more mainstream roles.
Black is ablely supported by some unknown actors that help to keep the Mexican feel of the film. Hector Jimenez as ‘The Skeleton’ is particularly good as a comedy partner to Nacho as he is very skinny and erratic. The big man/little man combo has worked for years and it succeeds here. Ana de la Reguera as Sister Encarnnacion is also worthy of a mention as you can tell why Nacho would fall for her. Even with these decent performances you can not get away from the fact that this is a Jack Black film and his role dominates entirely throughout.
With this in mind ‘Nacho Libre’ could be one of the funniest comedies you watch this year, or one of the worst. Your pleasure depends on your opinion of Jack Black. Even if you like him there is a good chance that the weirdness of the film may put you off. I for one loved the slow pace and concentration on eccentric background characters. However, with no explanation for all lot of things that go on this film could drive some people mad. It is hard to recommend this film as even though I really enjoyed it, you may not. All I can say that is if you are a fan of both Jack Black and Wes Anderson films, this may be for you. For everyone else – you have been warned.
Director: Jared Hess
Year: 2006
Starring: Jack Black
Price: Amazon uk £12.97
Play.com £14.99
CD Wow £8.99
Extras
If you buy the retail version on the film you can get a guide to making your own mask for wrestling in! There is also a funny commentary by Jack Black, Jared Hess and Mike White. Add to this a featurettes or two and some deleted scenes and the extras are pretty good and worth a watch.
Summary: This film will become a cult classic to some, a pet hate for others
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