A telling joke in "Nacho Libre" has one character rubbing a handful of poop in someone else's face.
By the end of the comedy, a lampoon of Mexican monasteries and pro wrestling, the audience can identify with the smelly, unsatisfied feeling.
The movie is an all-too typical example of a sophomore slump for director Jared Hess, coming off the success of his first film, "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004), which was made with no budget and no fear.
His second outing is an awkward mixture of forced pseudo-indie charm and studio polish.
"Nacho Libre" gets off to a promising start, introducing a pastiche of quirky characters and subtle laughs highly reminiscent of the sumptuous small-town Idaho ennui of "Napoleon Dynamite." After the first half hour, though, the film is about as enjoyable as an elbow smash to the face.
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The humorous returns of Jack Black talking in a mock Mexican accent diminish rapidly, and Hess begins to rely too much on lifeless slapstick that would seem immature and played-out even as material for Saturday morning cartoons.
Some may find the material offensive for its minstrel act qualities, given that the film has a white American director and lead actor poking fun at Mexican culture, but only the most uptight will cry foul. Hess's mockery clearly comes from a place of respect and fascination rather than contempt.
But innocent intentions don't necessarily equate into hilarity.
Black plays Nacho, a half Scandinavian, half Mexican priest who rides around on a clunky moped, pines over Sister Encarnación (Ana de la Reguera) and fantasizes about taking part in Lucha Libre pro wrestling to make a name for himself and raise money for the monastery orphanage. Deciding he needs a tag team partner, Nacho recruits his nemesis, a homeless, half naked tortilla chip thief called Esqueleto (Héctor Jiménez).
One of the film's few clever sequences has Nacho concocting his garish costume, scooping up materials including rug tassels, a kid's sweatsuit and rocks from the bottom of an aquarium. Shades of Napoleon and Pedro shopping at the secondhand store.
If only Hess had been able to draw from similar magic from his debut film. With his gut bulging over spandex, Nacho is quite the sight. While funny in short bursts, Black has yet to prove he's capable of carrying a film by himself, although fans of "The School of Rock" will disagree. The dynamic between Nacho and Esqueleto never comes close to matching the Napoleon-Pedro chemistry, and "Nacho Libre" lacks a stable of supporting characters to help lighten the burden.
The best we get here is an ornery priest with splotchy facial hair who barks orders at Nacho, insisting wrestling is a sin, and a gang of orphans who look upon Nacho's luchador antics in awestruck admiration.
Although de la Reguera is a doe-eyed beauty, Sister Encarnación has almost no personality. Hess hints at a romantic subtext between her and Nacho, but is careful not to step on the toes of Catholicism by hinting the attraction will undermine the vow of chastity. Hence, the PG rating that's friendly to Hess's Mormon background.
Although sex jokes are out of bounds in a PG film, bathroom humor apparently is not. Many setups have flatulence and groin-pounding as punchlines, indicating the filmmaker is out of ideas. Maybe Hess will rebound to greater things in his next outing, but even if not, at least he gave us "Napoleon Dynamite," which was brilliant enough to excuse the failure of "Nacho Libre."
review
Nacho Libre
HH
Rated: PG for some rough action, and crude humor including dialogue
Cast: Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jiménez, Richard Montoya
Director: Jared Hess
Family call: There's some scatological humor, but nothing too offensive.
Running time: 100 minutes
Opens Friday at: Park Place, El Con, Century Park, Foothills, Desert Sky, Cinemark
