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NACHO LIBRE / Jared Hess (2006)

July 30th, 2007 by Scott Marks

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NACHO LIBRE

Directed by Jared Hess

Written by: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess and Mike White

Starring: Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez and Peter Stormare

Running Time: 100 min.

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Whenever Groucho Marx was asked which of the thirteen Marx Bros. movies his favorite was, he always placed Leo McCarey’s Duck Soup at the top of the list. He was quick to point out that it was the only time in their career that the team was guided by a talented director. Contemporary comics need to listen to their elder’s advice.

After extensive research, I uncovered no relation between the Napoleon Dynamite director and Hitler’s deputy Rudolph Hess. It should have been apparent. Not only was Rudy a better dresser, no matter how warped it was, at least he possessed a vision. I’ve produced diarrhea with more consistency than Jared Hess’ “Nacho Libre.”

Jack Black (becoming more and more self-important with each passing film) plays Nacho, a man who grew from an abandoned orphan to staff cook in a Mexican monastery. In order to save the place from financial ruin, Nacho hatches a plan to make money as a Lucha Libre wrestler. How’s that for a high-concept screen story?

When not exposing his bare midriff, a prime source of the film’s feeble laugh-power, making funny faces and prancing around, Libre is forced to scavenge tasty nachos in order to top off the monasteries otherwise vile provisions. It is on one such hunt that Nacho encounters Esquelito (Héctor Jiménez), an emaciated beggar who functions best as a fraught attempt to come up with another merchandisable character like ND’s Pedro. I’m sure that the filmmakers took great delight in pairing fatty and skinny as tag team partners. No laurels for this barely hardy variation.

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Filed Under Reviews, Theatrical