Nacho Libre

From it's opening scenes, the quirkiness of Nacho Libre is immediately apparent. Though what else could the outcome be when Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) casts Jack Black as a reluctant Mexican friar yearning to live the life of a Luchador?

Good natured movies seem an increasingly rare breed these days, so it's always a welcome pleasure when stumbling across one such as this. Odd and a little slow at first, it isn't long before finding yourself warming to the characters on screen. The movie weaves a simple tale of friar Ignacio 'Nacho' Libre, who decides to moonlight as a Lucha Libre wrestler and use the money to give the orphans at his church a better life. It also wouldn't hurt to acquire a little fame, victory, and the affections of Sister Encarnacion (played by the impossibly pretty Ana de la Reguera) along the way. So with scrawny street urchin sidekick Esqueleto in tow, the ring beckons.

The wrestling scenes are a one joke show, with the two loser heroes proving far from fighting fit. Thankfully it's a joke that manages to stay the course of the movie, helped in part by the short runtime. Humor outside the ring is slight (and stilted at times), though good scenes are spread throughout. Nacho and Sister Encarnacion sharing toast in their chambers is an early standout; both funny and sweet in equal measure. While not the out and out comedy painted by the trailer, it certainly has enough moments to keep it in your memory.

Ultimately it's the honesty and innocence of the main characters that makes the movie so likeable. Nacho is endearingly foolish in his quest, and his relationship with Sister Encarnacion is touchingly sweet. All of which perfectly sets the movie's innocent tone. The ending may never really be in doubt, but you'll be rooting for the good guy and leaving the cinema with a smile on your face.