Nacho Libre (2006)

Berated all his life by those around him, a monk follows his dream and dons a mask to moonlight as a Luchador (Mexican wrestler).

Director:

Jared Hess

Writers:

Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess

Stars:

Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Black	...	Nacho
Ana de la Reguera	...	Sister Encarnación
Héctor Jiménez	...	Esqueleto
Darius Rose	...	Chancho (as Darius A. Rose)
Moises Arias	...	Juan Pablo
Diego Eduardo Gomez	...	Chuy
Carlos Maycotte	...	Segundo Nuñez
Richard Montoya	...	Guillermo
Cesar Gonzalez	...	Ramses (as Cesar Gonzalez 'Silver King')
Rafael Montalvo	...	Elderly Monk
Julio Sandoval	...	Snaggle Tooth Monk
Ventura 'Tigre Hispano' Lahoz	...	Arena Referee #1
Felipe Jesus 'Terror Chino' Hernandez	...	Arena Referee #2
Enrique Muñoz	...	Señor Ramon
Carla Jimenez	...	Candidia

Storyline

Nacho (Black) is a monastery cook, who spends his day feeding orphans and being overlooked by the monastery. When Sister Encarnación (Reguera) arrive at the monastery, Nacho realises that the only way to win her affection and to save the children, will be by competing as a Luchador wrestler.

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Plot Keywords:

two word title | male butt clench | slapstick comedy | monastery | orphan | 

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Taglines:

He's not lean. He's not mean. He's nacho average hero.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some rough action, and crude humor including dialogue

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

16 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Jack Black Project

Filming Locations:

Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,309,599, 18 June 2006, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$80,197,993

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$99,255,460

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Black & White Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During filming Jack Black recorded a series of "confessionals" which were uploaded onto the Internet as video podcasts available from iTunes. They became one of the most popular podcasts in the world.

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Goofs

Obvious (slender) stunt double during some of the wrestling matches.

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Quotes

Nacho: I'm not listening to you! You only believe in Science. That's probably why we never win!
Esqueleto: We never win because you are fat!

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Connections

Spoofed in Epic Movie (2007)

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Soundtracks

Papas
by Rafael Acosta
Performed by Mr. Loco
Courtesy of Orfeon Records

User Reviews

Funny in parts; not bad overall

I saw this movie last night at a screening on the Paramount lot. There are some laughs throughout, but the writing isn't particularly great. Much of what we're expected to find funny is the nuance in Jack Black's performance, which has its appeal. He is a great performer and very graceful in the wrestling ring.

The movie will probably do okay at the box office, just due to Black's appeal and the cult status of Napoleon Dynamite and Mike White. If it was as low a budget as everyone on the bulletin board here claims, the movie will make money and everyone will be happy. I don't think that it will be a huge hit, though, even on the order of Napoleon Dynamite.

Also, I'm curious to know what fans of Lucha Libre will think of this movie. It doesn't explain anything about the sport and some may even find it insulting, in that it often goes for laughs at the expense of the luchadores.