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Nacho Libre was somewhat of a surprise. I didn't go in with high expectations. I like
Jack Black when he isn't cussing, and I liked Jared Hess when he directed Napoleon Dynamite. Nacho Libre brings a freshness to family entertainment that isn't seen much. Good family entertainment seems hard to come by these days, especially fresh family entertainment, but Nacho Libre delivers on all levels.
Nacho Libre is a Mexican monk who dreams of a career in the ring as a wrestler. He finds a way to help feed the kids at the orphanage by recruiting a wrestling partner, and they tag team their way to a better life. The movie is very funny in a subtle way and it doesn't go to great lengths to make you laugh. It is in the same vein as Napoleon Dynamite in the way that you really laugh harder the second time you see it than you did the first time.
Mike White, from School of Rock, co-wrote and produced this film, and his style blends incredibly well with Jack and Jared. Jack Black is hilarious and he plays it totally straight, no mugging to the camera like so many comics these days. Jack Black is, after all, an actor first and a comic second, and he does a great job. Leotards aside, I enjoyed watching him.
Jared Hess, on the other hand, is a very skillful director. His sense of his own style is so prevalent, you forget this is only his second feature film. He and his wife Jerusha leave such an indelible imprint on the script that it's hard to tell where they begin and Mike White ends. All in all, I think it's a film that all four of these main contributors can be very proud of. I think they all have long careers to come, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
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