Nacho Libre (2006)

The singer-actor-comedian Jack Black has been around for a while, but came into his own as the bolshy clerk in "High Fidelity".  From there he was catapulted into lead roles in films like "Shallow Hal", "School of Rock", and even "King Kong"; in all of these he was a likeable presence, but the supporting cast was a necessary part of the success of those movies.  In this one, shot in Mexico, he is the whole show and without high production values, the net result is something of a let-down.  If I tell you that it is by the same talents behind "Napoleon Dynamite", a film which people either love or hate (with probably the higher percentage in the latter category), you can get some idea just how laid-back the action is here.  Black plays a put-upon monk in a poor monastery who decides to become a masked wrestler as a way of providing better food for the orphans in his charge and also as a way of proving himself both to the world and especially to the Penelope Cruz lookalike nun that he fancies.  Of course he is pretty hopeless in the ring and the scrawny guy he chooses for his tag team partner is no better, but he has a good heart and ultimately virtue (of a sort) triumphs.  The trouble is that although the movie is a pleasant enough watch, it just isn't particularly funny despite trying; how many times can one laugh at a fat guy with a big belly wearing a leotard?  I believe Black's next film with his partner from Tenacious D is not much cop either, so perhaps he needs to find a better way of profiting from the good will he has previously built up if he is to remain on top of things.

Tags: Jack Black