Nacho Libre (2006)

This was a very entertaining and charming movie, however it left me ultimately confused. The plot follows a Catholic friar moonlighting as a Luchador (Mexican WWF fighter) to support his orphanage.

I have to give credit to Jack Black for not being afraid to flaunt his flab and be a total goof ball for all to see (granted, he is making a ton of money for doing so). It was interesting to see the similarities this had with "Napoleon Dynamite". The Hess duo that wrote and directed both movies are creating a definite style that includes dynamic attention-grabbing shot composition, awkward heroes, and relatively clean content. I especially took note of the large number of shots with one character in center frame. This is not normal for Hollywood and they use it liberally to direct attention. It's unique, but I'm not sure if it will get old in future films. They also have an apparent affinity for "normal" looking people. Especially elderly people who seem to be near infirmity.

What confused me about the film, however, was its approach to spirituality. We seem to be constantly wondering about how seriously the main character, Nacho, takes serving the Lord. The treatment of religion is somewhat muddled. The quintessential example of this is a scene before a fight when Nacho approaches his Atheist partner with the line "I've been thinking... I'm kinda concerned about your salvation and stuff". When I heard this, I was intrigued that a discussion would follow about why this guy should seek God. Even if it was handled a little naively, it would be refreshing and would represent the gospel in mainstream film. I was utterly disappointed (and somewhat offended) when the scene ended with a sneak attack baptism that entailed grabbing a man's head and slamming it into a bowl of water. The gospel essentially became a punch line.

There was much praying, and thankfully prayer was not shown as some kind of 1-800-MIRACLE request line that delivers on demand. There was prayer followed by failure followed by growth and more prayer. This is much like it is in real life as our Lord uses circumstances to mold us on His schedule, not ours.

Like I started off saying though, due to it's sophomoric handling of the religious realm, this movie is entertaining, yet misguided.