I like Jack Black.. he can

be a funny guy. School of Rock was good, he was also good in Hi-Fidelity, Even in Peter Jackson's KING KONG, He brough Carl Denham a smug sense of humour. In my mind, Jack Black is one of those guys you see in a movie, and can't help but smile when he's on screen.
Which makes me ask why in the name of GAWD did he end up in this steaming TURD of a movie?

Nacho Libre has Jack Black playing a monk that lives near a small village in Mexico, serves crap to orphans, has a crush on a nun, and takes on a secret life as a masked wrestler. That's the setup.

The problem with this movie is that it's a one line joke, stretched out and never gives the payoff. It isn't Jack Black's fault. It's the movie.. it never takes off. The problem is there's no content.. It's disjointed... things happen, but it's like someone stuck in a VERY deep rut in their life.. they go through the motions, with nothing ever really happening. The basic rule of a COMEDY is that there has to be at least some jokes that hit the mark. The gags in Nacho Libre have set-ups, but no payoff.. it's like this:

Here's a joke: A guy walks into a bar with a duck and sits down.. Has a drink.. Then leaves.

See... a set-up.. but no payoff. In a COMEDY, that isn't a good thing. Now imagine the above example happening for 80 MINUTES, and you're sitting there... waiting.


Its been 24 hours since I've seen the movie, and I'm still shaking my head. Director Jared Hess who made NAPOLEON DYNAMITE shows he has promise with that movie, and one of the screenwriters was Mike White, who wrote School of Rock, The Good Girl, Orange County and a few others. He has talent as well... I just can't put my finger on who's to blame for this movie, all I know is its the first time I didn't smile when I saw Jack Black on screen in quite a while.

This movie is like a 80 minute joke... only without the funny part, and told really badly, with some fart noises thrown in to try and save it..

Nacho Libre: F-