I didn’t think I was going to like “Nacho Libre” – the new Jack Black flick about a Mexican monastery cook who aspires to be a pro wrestler – as much as I did. I don’t tend to laugh at sight gags of leftover frijoles splattered on people’s faces. But – in the increasingly mundane world of today’s Hollywood – this movie won me over almost on its weird and original subject matter alone. Beyond that, I was especially impressed with the casting – a great mix of those Latino faces I used to see on fight nights down at LA’s Olympic Auditorium. The set design was also good – catching that amalgamation of the beautiful and the horrible that is the Mexico we love. And, yes, Jack Black is the new Belushi. He can obviously open a movie and probably will for some time to come. (Okay, the story is predictable, but it’s serviceable.)
De acuerdo. “Nacho Libre” is the first movie I’ve seen so far this year that I plan to see again in the theatres. My wife and 20-year-old daughter also enjoyed it thoroughly, so it’s not just my peculiar tastes, but the movie did have particular resonance for me for at least two reasons:
– I grew up in San Diego, and I’m pretty sure that channel 12 (XEWT), coming out of Tijuana, broadcast ‘Lucha Libre’ fights, which I used to watch from time to time.
– I spent two years (1972-74) living in Central America, and the setting and casting were so true to life that I felt as though I were back there. I knew (and in some cases lived with) people just like those in the movie. (Note that the movie was filmed entirely in Mexico, with a largely Mexican cast and crew, including actual Lucha Libre wrestlers.)
What’s interesting is that I’ve read one or two reviews suggesting that Jared Hess (the director) was somehow playing to stereotypes or even being racist(!) in his admittedly tongue-in-cheek portrayal of life in Mexico. I thought he was being both affectionate and quite accurate–far more accurate (and affectionate!) than, say, the telenovelas (read: soap operas) and talk shows that tend to populate Univision and other Spanish-language channels.
And speaking of which–I expect “Nacho Libre” to be very popular in Mexico and Central America, as well as through the border states of the US. Of course, right now it’s popular throughout all the US, since it appears to be rivaling “Cars” (a film that I also enjoyed thoroughly) for the #1 spot for this weekend. ..bruce..
I thought Jack Black was the new Jack Nicholson, before Nicholson grew up and became dramatic.
When I was a little kid growing up in Puerto Rico we used to get a lot of Mexican comic books and Mexican movies, and among them were the ones featuring a wrestler named El Santo, who was approx. as corpulent as Jack, but wore a silver mask. I wonder what became of him?
New Belushi? John or James?