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Tuesday, 15 August 2006 00:38 |
Set in the colorful world of Lucha Libre -- sort of the Mexican equivalent of WWE -- the deliberately off-kilter picture throws political correctness to the mat with abandon, but that unlikely will be much of a concern for its target demo.
Black takes on his most fully realized character to date as Nacho, the orphaned son of a Scandinavian missionary and a Mexican deacon (which would explain the wacky accent) who now is a cook in the monastery in which he was raised.
Tired of feeling put upon by the friars, Nacho finds relative respect by leading a double life as a masked luchador with plans to take his prize money to buy better food for the orphans which, in turn, would hopefully impress the lovely Sister Encarnacion (popular Mexican actress Ana de la Reguera).
Finding a worthy partner in the timid, skeletal Esqueleto (the hysterical Hector Jimenez), Nacho steps into the ring and puts his dream to the test opposite a succession of real-life luchadores including Ramses (Cesar Gonzalez aka Bronco) and, in the role of Satan's Helpers, the screeching midget duo of Filliberto Estrella Calderon and Gerson Virgen Lopez.
Given the comic talents involved, there might have been hopes for something more dynamic than the languid pacing and self-consciously quirky style found here, but those potential deficits prove to be part of the production's considerable charms.
Director Hess, who penned the script along with his wife and writing partner, Jerusha Hess and White, lends the film a fittingly eccentric look and feel with the assist of cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet ("Before Night Falls"), production designer Gideon Ponte ("The Notorious Bettie Page"), and especially those wondrous Spandex creations of costume designer Graciela Mazon, a frequent Robert Rodriguez collaborator.
Filmed entirely on location in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, "Nacho Libre" makes effective use of both the local color and talent, especially in Jimenez, who has a knack for stealing attention away from the antics of his capable co-star simply by doing absolutely nothing.
Look out, Laurel and Hardy!
Director: Jared Hess
Screenwriters: Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess & Mike White
Producers: Mike White, Jack Black, Julia Pistor, David Klawans
Director of photography: Xavier Perez Grobet
Production designer: Gideon Ponte
Editor: Billy Weber
Costume designer: Graciela Mazon
Music: Danny Elfman
Cast:
Nacho: Jack Black
Esqueleto: Hector Jimenez
Sister Encarnacion: Ana de la Reguera
Guillermo: Richard Montoya
Ramses: Cesar Gonzalez
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