Movie #147 -- Nacho Libre

Title: Nacho Libre

Director: Jared Hess

Release Year: 2006

Plot Summary: Jack Black plays Nacho: the son of a Catholic Deacon and a Lutheran Missionary. In Mexico. He likes to wrestle and dress up an awful lot like Strong Bad. He has a crush on a nun. Oh... and corn on the cob. Lots of corn on the cob.

Thoughts: Okay... Imagine all that stuff that I just typed and then imagine Napoleon Dynamite. With me? Good. This movie will invariably be compared to writer/director Hess' previous work and rightfully so: same quirky storytelling, same off-beat humor, same strange directing.

That being said, it's not as funny or as endearing as Napoleon Dynamite. Part of the charm of that movie was the unknown actors and their wildly imaginative parts. Part of that charm is lost here with Jack Black -- he is his usual over-the-top self, which seems to work for most of the film. I can't wait to see the out-takes and deleted scenes in a few months when this is out on DVD. And the song he sings about Encarnacion is GENIUS.

Rating (0-10): 6.5

Recommendations: If you liked Napoleon Dynamite or you like Wes Anderson's work, you'll like this. Otherwise, save your money.