Let me start by saying that this is probably my favorite movie; certainly my favorite comedy. In my opinion it is one of the most quotable films ever created and seems to appeal to the idiot in all of us. With an all-time performance from Jack Black, and a killer storyline, Nacho Libre puts forth a worthy, goofy-style comedy that brings out the luchador in all of us. Yes, it is a comical film, but it’s also the story of a man trapped in mediocrity, longing for adventure, passion and to follow his dreams. If that relates to you then give Nacho Libre a watch.

This movie is about a monk living in a monastery in Latin America. This Monk, Ignacio, or Nacho for short, is in charge of making the meals for all the other monks and orphans living at the monastery as well as other various tasks like making house calls. He is clearly not content with his life, although he loves the orphans and they him, he has a deep yearning to become a luchador. One day, when he’s in town getting groceries, he sees a flyer for an amateur match with a cash reward. With the help of a local bum he befriends, Esqueleto, Nacho enters into the match without the knowledge of any of his monk brothers (as fighting in the ring is considered a sin). Their first match, they get absolutely destroyed, but to their surprise, still receive money. With the new cash, Nacho is able to buy better food to serve for the orphans as well as some new threads. At this point a beautiful nun, Encarnacion, comes to live at the monastery and Nacho gets the hots for her. The rest of the film is Nacho doing his best to impress Encarnacion, the two fighters constantly getting beaten up in the ring, and the other monks becoming suspicions of Nacho’s activity. With plenty of hilarious action and dialogue in-between, the movie comes to a climax when Nacho’s identity is discovered, he declares his love for Encarnacion, and he challenges the top-ranked luchador to a match. He ends up winning the fight and earns enough money to buy a bus to take the orphans on field trips.

This movie had a bit of hype coming out in theaters as Jared Hess, director of Napoleon Dynamite was as it again two years later. There are obviously many similarities in filming styles though Nacho Libre boasts better overall in almost every category.

Hess clearly loves his sets to look sort-of run down and incorporates a lot of old or ugly looking scenery, and Libre is no different. If anything, the set and location work even better than Napoleon Dynamite as there is clearly a distinct culture and collective style in the film and among all the characters. The soundtrack is another one of the most notable aspects of the film, I find myself singing or humming along to nearly every track whenever I watch the film.

Now, without a doubt, the most recognizable aspect of this film is the dialogue, there are some world-famous quotes that came from this movie and many I say almost daily. “Do you not realize I have had diarrhea since Easters?” “I only believe in Science.” “Chanco! I need to borrow some suedes!” “These are my recreation clothes.” “Mhhm good toast.” These are just a few of the all-time great quotes used in the movie. And what makes them so funny is that it is not like the characters are trying to be funny, but instead we are laughing at who the characters actually are, which makes it all the better, of course, I have always been a fan of slapstick and goofy style humor, so perhaps that is why it appeals to me so strongly. But the way the film is set up, the development of the characters, and their dialogues all tie into why this is such a beautiful film.

Beyond all of the humor, this is actually a feel-good tale as well, about a guy who is unhappy with his life, so he follows his dreams and achieves them for the betterment of himself and those close to him.