Pajiba

"It's a stunningly unengaging comedy and downright boring in parts."

Hmm. Sounds a lot like Napoleon Dynamite.

Sounds exactly like what my 37 year old husband and my 5 year old daughter had to say. Pajiba has saved me AGAIN!

I agree that this film is boring in parts. But personally, I found it to be well worth the admission price.

With forgettable comedies from this year including "Scary Movie 4" and "The Breakup" and fucking "Big Momma's House 2," I welcome "Nacho Libre." It sure isn't perfect, but it was more entertaining than most anything else I've seen lately. (save for Thank You for Smoking). At least it made me laugh.

And yes, I am phenomenally stoned most of the time.

I didn't want to see this anyway, but last night at a bar, Jack Black's voice started yelling at from a Nacho Libre poster above a urinal. I can not express how unacceptable this is. Such behavior must not be rewarded.

Perhaps the reasons I enjoyed this movie are a) I wasn't aware of its Napoleon Dynamite connection, as I detest that film, and b) wasn't expecting anything more than Jack Black in tights. I just wanted to laugh at the concept of Jack Black's bad Mexican accent coming out of a blue and red mask, and I did. Anyone wanting more out of this film is asking to be disappointed, and probably also bored by their attempts to find a plot. But seriously, it's Nickelodeon, were you expecting art?

"last night at a bar, Jack Black's voice started yelling at from a Nacho Libre poster above a urinal"

That may be the funniest thing I've ever heard.

I was so bored during Napoleon Dynamite. It was absolutely overrated.. And it seems to be the kind of movie where you either think it's brilliant, or dumber than ass.

I disagree with dismissing 'a series of sketches' as a poor method of scripting a comedy film. Animal House, Blues Brothers, SuperTroopers and I would argue Napoleon Dynamite use the method well. I don't need Woody Allen to write and direct all the comedies I see...because some of his suck too.

Can't wait for Nacho to come out on dvd.

Oh! and I have a T-Shirt that says "The Dude Abides!" I'm duel teh 5|_||Oh! and I have a T-Shirt that says "The Dude Abides!" I'm duel teh 5|_||

I hated Napoleon Dynamite (I believe it is one of the most horrbile movies ever (punchlines with no set ups or set ups with no punchlines) not to mention overrated) and I think that Jack Black is pretty okay. I had mixed feelings about seeing this film (if I was just going to be Napoleon Dynamite 2 or School of Rock 2), and hearing from this, it is just Napoloen Dynamite rehashed.
Thanks for saving my money again.
- Robby

Not to completely and gratuituously kiss ass, but this review is SO right on I could start weeping. Ever since I originally saw Napoleon Dynamite I have been describing it as Rushmore for Retards, so I just about crapped myself when you name checked Wes Anderson near the end of the review. Not that I ever had any intention of seeing this fetid abortion of a movie, but it's wonderful to read a funny, well written review that confirms all your suspicions. God bless you Pajiba.

I'm a believer that to like Napolean Dynamite you have to see it twice. The first time I saw it i wondered what the hell everyone liked about it, but the second and every time after that i laughed through the whole movie. I'm not give Nacho Libre even the first chance. Considering the only Jack Black movie I've ever enjoyed was School of Rock I will not be putting myself through the mess he has gotten himself into now.

Worth Seeing -black is funny!!
okay saw it last night- I laughed despite myself- yeah the reviewer is correct- if you go to it expecting Wes Anderson, you will be disappointed but if you keep your expectations low than you will be entertained -yes the movie is funny -unlike most comedies i saw this year - i agree however they could have toned down the poop and fart jokes - and they should have had more dialogue instead -they relied on too much visual humour - but it has lots of funny moments

Wow, I remember another stellar wrestling movie, involving the classic thespian David Arquette! I guess you can just stick to watching the mindless, soul-sucking waste of 2 hours that is WWE RAW, instead of shelling out 8 bucks at the movie theater. At least you can see scantily clad women instead of scantily clad Jack Black. High-five Hollywood, way to go! I can feel a new Golden Era emerging!

"Wouldn't it be funny if someone made a movie like this and really meant it?"
Ha! That's funny, because that's waht I was thinking the whole time like- are they serious? Too bad you don't think Nacho Libre is funny like that. I thought that it would be stupid (and slightly offensive) but that's what I thought about Napoleon Dynamite and then I saw it and it was funny.

I thought Nacho Libre was an idiotic movie premise, but when I learned that the person who brought the abortion of a movie, Napoleon Dynamite, to life, I knew it was going to be downhill from there. However, my boyfriend, as usual, is squealing that we HAVE to go see it omfg.

And Jack Black's annoying. Tenacious D is bearable, because, half the time, we don't have to see them. School of Rock was a thinly veiled promotion for TD, and the only film I really liked Jack Black in was Shallow Hal, because there was little to no self-promotion in it. Knowing that Black will be singing in Libre has made me want to jump off a bridge. Or at least drown myself in the butter that will encase the theater popcorn.

Napoleon Dynamite was an original and hilarious movie... so refreshing when the studios generally just rehash the same plotlines and sell them to us again and again. Until your review, I had no intention of seeing Nacho Libre, but now that I know it's from the same director who brought us Napoleon, I might.

"fetid abortion"??

Ease up, Tex. Seriously.

Alright, granted everything in a sophisticated and intelligent movie was lacking, but didn't that add to the humor? Wasn't that the focus, that there was nothing of substance to con the audience into watching more? Granted, my sense of humor may err on the side of infantile, but I personally found it funny. Then again, I love Jack Black, and this movie is honestly a lot better than what Hollywood has been trying to shove down our gullets. I don't know though, maybe I don't have the discerning pallate of a well seasoned movie-goer. Maybe that is why I was not bothered too tremendously by the script, or the acting, or directing or editing, and maybe the shitty day I had prior to seeing it lead me to enjoy it that much more. In any case I loved it solely because I got a laugh out of it. Is that really so wrong, or so grevious an offense?

I did build up some expectations and I've not been disapointed at all when I saw it yesterday. There is a lot to like about Nacho Libre. I found it enjoyable and funny in its tone and attitude. I didn't like the second time Black sings though. It felt out of place and forced. And I'm pretty sure we can attribute at least superfluous two fart sound effects to Nickelodeon's contribution.

you guys are too fckn serious. is there a stupid movie genre. cuz that david arquette ready to rumble was awesome. lol. i even liked freddy got fingered. weird dumb movies like napoleon dynamite are way more entertaining than all the mcmovies they put out. anyways, its a fat guy in tights and a luchadore mask. if you're expecting more, then thats just an excuse to act all pretentious and high brow. on another note.. i havent seen that colin farewell phone booth movie yet, but just the idea of a whole movie in a phone booth just pisses me off. fckn a.

My six year old son is obsessed with seeing this movie. So what I want to know is, are we dealing with another Pink Panther, in that it's mediocre-to-wretched for adults, but actually entertaining for the 1st grade set?

Um, john? Unless your age is in single digits, there is simply no excuse for writing like that.

get your movies right. pink panther is more like mr bean. now stupid movies from europe are something i cant watch. and pardon me for not having a grammar book stuffed up my ass. clearly i am beneath you. i bow down before thee and accept thy personal insult with humility. if u can please excuse me for writing like this then maybe i can excuse you for asking if a movie about a fat jack black mexican wrestler in tights is supposed to be entertaining for adults or kids. the trailer is like, so misleading.

Jack Black is NOT funny. Not talented either.
I can say the same for Will Ferrell.

The reviewer states Jack Black does not have "the knack for creating characters that Will Ferrell does".

Gimme a break.
I have std's funnier than Will Ferrell.

Um,john? Why are we so upset? Run out of medication? Good luck with the anger management classes (and with finding the shift key - capital letters are FUN to use!)
Seriously... chill.

wHy iS EverYOnE SO aNal?

No amount of marijuana could make this movie funny and I really did give it an honest shot.

john - i think you are funny...

I ate some bugs, I ate some grass. I use my hand, to wipe my tears.

My wife and I went to see a matinee this afternoon, sans drugs, alcohol, or kiddies... and found it highly entertaining. We too, while fans of Jack Black, had rather low expectations. It seems to me that the reviewer completely missed the numerous references to Mexican cinema from the 60s and 70s, amusing nods to Sergio Leone, and the scatological humor was obviously added in at Nickelodeon's insistance. I do not recall excessive amounts of poo in Napoleon Dynamite, so saying that Jared Hess likes his poop is perhaps a little hasty. Strangely, the kids in the audience didn't laugh nearly as much as the adults, although they seemed to enjoy the movie nonetheless. And while Hess is no Cervantes, I even find a favorable comparison in the towering failure of Nacho's wrestling career and his cynical companion Esquelito to the similarly doomed pair Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

The passion and kinetic energy that is Jack Black comes through quite clearly here, and I think Mr. Carlson should have attended a few Lucha Libre matches before condemning this movie. If you understand the sheer silliness and passion of Lucha Libre, appreciate obscure references to Mexican Film, and get a kick out of Jack Black's type of physical humor, you will not be dissappointed in this film. And really, why would you see a movie that features an actor in a main role that you don't care for? You are hardwired to dislike it - so if you don't like Jack Black, it is already a waste of time to see this movie...unless you have just returned from Oaxaca and want to impress your friends by identifying all the film locations. Viva Monte Alban!

I didn't find myself loving this movie, but I didn't hate it either. Wasn't worth the eight bucks, I would rather have waiting until the flick was in my hometown's $3 theater instead. Although I have to admit, it is far better than all the other comedies we have suffered through this year (I want to spit on the man that greenlighted "Big Momma's House 2").

You can never expect any movie made past 1970 to be a perfectly stellar movie. The Golden Age of Hollywood is loooong gone, and we are now left to view the remains and wonder if we could ethically reanimate a zombie Jimmy Stewart or Katherine Hepburn to bring back movies that were actually enjoyable to watch. True we run the risk of having our brains eaten, but isn't Hollywood already doing that to us (albeit, at a much slower pace)?

Actually the worst part was when Jack Black started singing.

I don't like Jack Black, nor Napolean Dynamite, and I still enjoyed Nacho Libre.

"I kept hoping that Hess would set up at least one domino to knock down, come up with one reason for Nacho to become a luchador other than the intrinsic but limited humor of Jack Black in tights." What crap. He became a luchador for a couple of reasons, and it was nice to see the change in them through the movie. You know how he wanted to be like Ramses, but then Ramses turned out to be a jerk so he focused on the orphans and everything was great? Man, that sounds a whole lot better than "Perhaps the orphanage would be in danger of closing, spurring Nacho into the ring to win enough money to save his friends."

Oh well

This movie was just...silly. Not high art, not sublimely funny, but there were pockets of silliness that made it worth the time and matinee price. Secret tunnels, anyone? "I believe in science"?

The main commonality it has with Napoleon Dynamite is the portrayal of quirky characters who are completely comfortable with themselves. They're not really looking to fit in, because according to their own internal logic, they already fit. I think that's why I like both movies (though, I like N.D. a lot more than N.L.). So many movies are about people searching for acceptance, or trying to prove their self-worth. Neither Nacho nor Napoleon have anything to prove, they just ARE. And that's kind of nice.

I think Jack Black's schtick is getting old...the only film I liked him in was High Fidelity, where he was himself and not so hammy as in his recent films. Nacho Libre is a stupid name for a movie, hence, why should I even bother? Napoleon Dynamite I can appreciate because of it's 80s feel, but otherwise, it's not a really great movie, it's not really overrated, it's just a weird little gem of a film, that has it's moments of just being what it was, a weird film about a weird kid and his weird family in a weird place. This film wasn't trying to be more than it was, probably the same deal with Nacho Libre...

No comment on the awesome music in this movie? Disappointing.

CapNGravy got it right. If you don't like Jack Black, why the hell would you see this movie? If you didn't like Napoleon Dynamite, why the hell would you see this movie?

After being pounded with previews I knew this movie would be Napoleon Dynamite funny (I agree ND is only funny after viewing twice - I hated it the first time and find myself quoting it now with friends) or spectacularly bad so I was delighted to get passes to an advance screening. I want my two hours back. This film was beyond awful. If we hadn't been packed in on both sides we would have walked out in the first 30 minutes and I've never walked out of a film. I think my friend's quote as we were walking out sums it up - "I'd rather gnaw my own arms off than sit through that again".

If you didn't like Napoleon Dynamite, then you weren't a freak in high school. 'Nuff said. As for Nacho Libre, when it comes to the theater pubs in 3 months, I'll get a pitcher of beer and booze my way through some cheap laughs. There's something to be said for mindless entertainment.

Seeing the commercials for this movie for the first time, I immediately thought - looks like another version of Napolean Dynomite. Hearing Hess was at the helm for this film confirmed my suspicions. This movie was EXTREMELY boring and shouldn't be classified under the "comedy" category. It was still funier than Date Movie though.

- My Daily Zen.com

The last time I checked, movies fall under the category of "entertainment". This was a funny movie. My husband and I laughed as much as our 5 year old. It was warm and silly and had no scary parts. I understand that, like with many comedians, you either like Jack Black's humor or you don't. But it's perfectly OK just to have fun for a while...even as an adult. And it was fun. We got our money's worth. This movie won't solve world hunger or cure AIDS, but, hey, that's OK ...

i went to see thi smovie last night and i laughed so hard at points that i thought they would throw me out of the theater. this review is way off base. Nocho Libre is not meant to be anything other than fucking entertainment. you guys are so full of shit. for anyone with an independent mind and a need to laugh hysterically for almost 2 hours, go see this movie. it's hilarious.

No one on this planet or any bizarro one is going to laugh hysterically for almost 2 hours...it's just not possible.

It probably is funny to people who think SNL (in he last 20 years) is funny. Jack Black is a one-trick-pony, and that trick is getting old.

What review is everybody talking about? I can't find it.

I'm with Herb...SNL just keeps getting funnier!

I personally cannot stand crap films like "White Chicks", "Date Movie" and the upcoming Wayans brothers disaster, "Little Man" or whatever it's called.
I saw "Nacho Libre" and it is, by no means, a normal movie, some say it's not even a movie. It is, however, very entertaining and very funny. Don't go into it expecting anything, expecting a boring love story, a full character "arc" or anything of that sorts. This is a summer comedy. Watch, laugh, go home. You don't need to think. I laughed through the entire film and at least 20 times said to my friend, "What the hell is this movie? What am I watching?"
You know you're watching a ridiculous movie, so enjoy it for that. So many films try to "touch" the audience or go too far with the story and they get boring. The love story would have ruined the comedy, as it often does. "Wedding Crashers" was great except for when the relationships blossomed. "40 Year Old Virgin" was great until the relationship blossomed. If you set up a crazy comedy, you have to end it as a crazy comedy. You can't go from Jack Black using 12 different accents to a genuine love story, that's lame.
Bottom line, if you want to just relax, be entertained and just be an audience member for once, go see this film.
The people that crap on this film aren't getting it. This film isn't trying to be something it's not. "Nacho Libre" knows it's ridiculous, so enjoy it. Good lord, people.

I think the humor is so dry, that it's hard for people with no sense of humor to find it funny.

Some of you fools are so serious.

I LOVED NAPOLEON DYNAMITE AND NACHO LIBRE!!

So, suck on it.

well said Mike!! i am still laughing inside at some of the ridiculous moments in this movie. i can't remember the last time a movie had me laughing days later. it was a hugely entertaining movie. it is absurd beyond belief but not in the tasteless way that Napoleon Dynamite was. actually Airplane or the original Deuce Bigelow might be better comparisons. but the whole Mexican angle gave it a deliciously different twist that made for original comedy. what i also liked about this movie is that the supporting Mexican character was also given some of the funniest bits and moments -- it wasn't just the Jack Black show. i can't wait for this movie to come out on cable so that i can watch it a gazillion times and wet my pants with laughter. anyone who doesn't get that this movie isn't trying to be anything other than a few slices of entertainment, is a completely humorless asshole.

I'm a huge ND fan and, now, a huge NL fan. This isn't highbrow comedy, but as long as your expectations are reasonable going into this movie, I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy it.



Some people might not like the slow pace of the movie, but I enjoyed what I took to be a shout-out to the slow pace of life in Oaxaca. I appreciate filmmakers who are willing to endure the wrath of the ADD-inflicted in order to preserve the integrity of the movie's setting.



*SPOILER*I also kinda like that Nacho doesn't get the girl in the end. I hate when writers contrive a way for impossibly doomed romances to succeed. To me, it makes perfect sense that a friar-in-training and an nun wouldn't get together, despite a possible mutual attraction.*END SPOILER*



And I actually thought Jack Black was funny! Granted, my sense of humor is fairly juvenile to begin with. So, if you can't enjoy a cheap laugh in good conscience, then stay home and have fun with your boring, artistic integrity. ;-)



However, if you're a Philistine like me, go see "Nacho Libre" and howl with laughter as Nacho sings about "Encarnaci-oh-ho-ho-hon!!"

For the majority of you who are criticizing the reviewer for "not getting" the movie, maybe you are in fact "not getting" the point of a movie review.

Just because the film sets out to be silly and knows it's not highbrow humor doesn't make it good. It makes it silly, and this relativistic approach does nothing to further discussion. Sure, Carlson could pull an Ebert and only grade the film on what it is compared to what it set out to be (Wanted to be silly + it is silly = A), but that only takes us so far. (This time, Ebert didn't even like Nacho.) What could the film have been? What should it have been? Carlson obviously thinks it could have/should have been more. Should certain movies not even be reviewed because they are meant only as idiotic, mind-free entertainment? And why are you implying that entertaining films only induce laughter and joy? Dramas are entertaining, too...

For those of you who are upset by his review, why are you even reading a review of the film? You obviously don't care about standards, so why argue?

If you want mind-numbing entertainment, have at it. Leave the critique to the critics.

the entire point of the film is that there is no point. its called existentialism.

This one was my highly anticipated movie this year. I find him talented and intensley funny. I'm not detered by the review. I will see it this coming Saturday (after midterms) with my brother, who finds him hugely talented as well.

VIVA Nacho Libre!

I loved Napoleon Dynamite but fell asleep about half an hour into this movie. I think I might need to see it again though, cause I fell asleep the first time I saw ND also. Maybe I'll find it hilarious on the second go-round.

I like Jack Black most of the time, but I don't like him as an institution. Let's see if I can explain that. I don't like the fact that there's sort of a Jack Black cult out there that's going to see this movie just because it's a Jack Black movie even though it looks like masturbatory noodling. There's something about the pressure to turn out an interesting product that keeps artists honest and good, and that tends to go away once they build up their little cult (looking squarely at you, Wes Anderson). Then instead of being disciplined and streamlined, they go off on free-form tangents that have their place, but not in the finished product. It annoys me not because I care that the bad product ends up in the theaters, but because it ruins artists that I enjoy. I almost feel that movies like this and Napoleon Dynamite should really be the outtakes from other movies, where somebody came up with something that was pretty funny and cracked the crew up, but it just didn't move the plot along or really connect to anything else in the movie.

And by the way, I love Linklater but I didn't love School of Rock. It was good, and Black was good, but Linklater's stuff has always seemed so incredibly real because of attention to detail and realistic dialogue and storylines. I felt like he lost a little of that in School of Rock. Maybe it's just that it was a "family" movie. I don't know, something was off about the tone.

I wasn't a fan of Napoleon Dynamite the first time I saw it (I stopped it halfway through because I was bored out of my mind), and I'm not a big fan of it now (though once I sat through it, I found I didn't hate it), but I was very amused by Nacho Libre. I went in thinking it would be terrible, but I found it to be funny and engaging. I even ended up laughing at parts that I would have thought stupid if I hadn't been watching them (like the heavyset lady having the hots for Black's exceedingly skinny partner, and the fart just before Black sneak attacks him in the alley after dropping the chips.) Maybe it's just because my friend and I were practically alone in the theatre and it was easier to let loose and goof off and have fun with all the silly stuff thrown at us, than it would have been if it were crowded. I wouldn't necessarily pay to see it again, but it was worth the $6 the first time around. :)

I just saw this movie, and I for once I don't really agree with Pajiba. This is a strange occurrence for me, but I can only conclude that my "standards" are just too darn low. I mean, how dare I enjoy a comedy that is original, quirky, character-based, warm-hearted, and utterly different from all the cliche stuff we're continually shown? I don't think Napoleon Dynamite or Nacho Libre were brilliant, but I think they were both fresh, funny, and enjoyable. They are both very compatible to my sense of humor - dry, and slightly ridiculous. Frankly, I'm bored stiff with bland, standard comedies with cliched storylines, utterly conventional character arcs, and not a single original moment in them. So maybe I don't need a conventional "setup and punchline" ... seriously, it's all been done too many times. Let the existential comedy have its turn.

One word: Yawn.

This movie sucked more than Jenna Jameson sucks balls. It was bland, dry, and punctuated by periods of Jack Black trying to act serious but not very serious at all.

This movie was exactly like nachos, very cheesy and in the end made you thirst for something a lot better and more refreshing.

first of all, how could you expect something to come of the relationship...she was a nun. Second of all, when everyone watching the movie is dying of laughter, than the director and actors succeeded in their attempt at making a COMEDY. Comedies don't have to have a well thought out plot, or romances, or anything for that matter. They make you laugh and that is the one and only point of them.

nacho libre is the greatest and best movie in the world!

i LAARFED MY BUTT OFF.

bahhhhahha.

Wife & I watched last night at home. We sometimes enjoy good-natured movies with sympathetic characters. ND and NL delivered the goods.

Yeah well, I thought that both of the movies Napolian Dynamite and Nacho Libre were brilliant. I do believe that this is art, it is just a form of it that is different from most successful films these days. Having no plot, and just non-humorous comedy is comedy. It is the lack of art that makes it art.