Plot: What’s it about?
Even if you didn’t see it, Nacho Libre is one poster that was hard to miss. I mean how many movie posters out there feature a teal and red clad half naked man that look like Jack Black? Not many, I’m guessing. I’ve been a real fan of Jack Black ever since 1999’s High Fidelity in which he stole the show with his over the top performance and surprising ability to croon Marvin Gaye songs. At the time, I had no idea of his “Tenacious D” show, but let’s just say that despite his looks – Mr. Black is certainly gifted musically. He partnered with Richard Linklater in School of Rock which was a wise move and it gave Black the perfect outlet to really cut loose. He also seemed to work well with children, something that he’s doing again in Nacho Libre. I have to admit that I was curious to see what the movie was about, but if you judge by appearances (and let’s face it, we all do) this movie will probably be seen by most just to satisfy their curiosity.
Black plays “Nacho”, a friar at a small Mexican church where his responsibility is to cook for the staff and the orphans that are staying there. The problem is that they lack money and Nacho has to resort to alternative methods to procure their meals. Nacho has always had a dream of being a wrestler or luchador as it’s known in Mexico. The trouble is that it’s looked down upon by the members of the cloth. Nacho learns of a tournament in which the grand prize will allow him to buy food for the orphans, so he manages to find a partner, Esqueloto (Hector Jimenez), and the two hit the circuit. Let’s face it: they’re not good. But the money they get from losing still allows the orphans to live somewhat of a better life. Still, Nacho’s dream isn’t fulfilled until he has a shot at turning pro. To do that he must wrestle the country’s champion, Ramses (Cesar Gonzales). Can Nacho defeat the mighty Ramses or will the children of the orphanage be doomed to beans and day old chips for years to come?
Nacho Libre is somewhat of a perplexing movie; it has some genuinely funny moments, though I think I’m about twenty years out of the target audience. I do find Black funny, but everything seems a bit forced here. I do have to say that I was laughing so hard at a particular scene in this movie, I had to pause it just to catch my breath (hint: two troll-like things in the wrestling ring). Black is such an odd-looking person that we become pretty desensitized to seeing him topless and he seems comfortable with his physique, which might be good for him but bad for us. I’m sure a younger audience will get a bit more out of this than me and the movie was produced by Nickelodeon, so that should have set something off in my head there. Yet it didn’t. Fans of wrestling might like this too as there are a number of actual wrestling sequences in the film. While not a bad movie, I felt a bit lost sometimes but it’s got some pretty funny moments as well.
Video: How does it look?
I originally saw this movie when it came out on DVD and then later on the short-lived HD-DVD format. And that’s been a while now. Nearly two decades (as of this writing). So it was with eager anticipation (yes, really) that I popped this disc into the 4K player to see what visuals awaited me. As it turns out, they weren’t that bad. It’s not perfect, then again I’d be surprised if this movie did look perfect even if it was supposed to. Make sense? The colors are bold and bright, detail has been improved though I caught a bit of macroblocking in a few of the darker, wrestling scenes. It was enough to bump the score down a tad, but overall it’s the best the film has ever looked.
Audio: How does it sound?
A standard DTS HD Master Audio mix is included and there isn’t many times when it’s really used. There are some ambient sound effects and the scenes that contain wrestling make use of all 5.1 channels, but aside from that – it’s pretty much just dialogue. Granted, I wasn’t expecting the best soundtrack in the world, but this delivers what it’s supposed to and not much more. It’s an above average effort, for sure.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Disc One (4K)
- Audio Commentary – We start off with a commentary track with director Jared Hess, Jack Black and Mike White. The three make for a pretty good track and Black was actually pretty involved in the making of the movie as well (he was a Producer). I think only true fans of the movie will want to give it a listen, but it’s a good track to listen to if you’re so inclined.
Disc Two (Blu-ray)
- Audio Commentary – We start off with a commentary track with director Jared Hess, Jack Black and Mike White. The three make for a pretty good track and Black was actually pretty involved in the making of the movie as well (he was a Producer). I think only true fans of the movie will want to give it a listen, but it’s a good track to listen to if you’re so inclined.
- Enter Sister Encarnacion – This new interview with Actress Ana de la Reguera is the only new supplement on this set, but better something than nothing. She regales us with a few stories from the set.
- Detras de la Camara – Running nearly 30 minutes this has some behind the scenes footage as well as the obligatory talking heads from the cast and crew.
- Jack Black Unmasked! – A look at Black as he gets into his Nacho Libre character again with accompanying footage from behind the set.
- Exterior – Hacienda – Night – We get a look at some inside information as to how some of the scenes were shot.
- Interior – Lucha Libre Ring – Night – Basically the same as above, only this time inside the ring.
- Lucha Libre – If you wanted a history/crash course in lucha libre, look no further.
- Hencho en Mexico – We get a look at shooting the film in Mexico with “authentic” Mexican actors.
- Moviefone Unscripted with Jack Black and Héctor Jiménez – Black and co-star Jimenez interview each other.
- Jack Sings Behind-the-Scenes: La Cancion de Ramses – Some behind the scenes footage of one of his two musical numbers.
- La Cancion de Encarnacion – And the other…
- Deleted Scenes – Three total.
- Promo Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
I’d forgotten how much of a wild ride watching this movie was. Most of it made no sense. Then again it’s Jack Black (who was still riding high from his success in School of Rock). I still lost it when I watched my favorite scene and still haven’t been able to figure out what it meant or why it was in the movie. But I love it. Kino’s disc has been improved and a new supplement has been added to boot. The remainder of Paramount’s supplements have been carried over.
