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Nacho Libre is a 2006 Mexican-American sports comedy film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. It stars Jack Black, and is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta ("Friar Storm", a.k.a. Rev. Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez), a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed. The film was produced by Black, White, David Klawans and Julia Pistor.

The film was released on June 16, 2006 by Paramount Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $99.3 million at the worldwide box office against its $35 million production budget.

Plot[]

Ignacio's parents, a Lutheran missionary from Scandinavia and a Mexican deacon, both died while he was still a baby. Now a cook for the Oaxaca monastery orphanage where he was raised, Ignacio dreams of becoming a luchador, but wrestling is strictly forbidden by the monastery as it is considered a sin of vanity. Though Ignacio cares deeply for the orphans, he is unable to provide decent meals for them due to a lack of funds. He is treated with contempt and indifference by the other monks. He also struggles with his feelings for Sister Encarnación, a nun who has just arrived to teach at the orphanage. One night, while collecting a bag of tortilla chips for the orphans, Ignacio gets mugged by a street thief named Steven. Having had enough, Ignacio decides to disregard the monastery's rules and become a luchador to make money. He convinces Steven to join him by promising to share the prize money if they win, and the two join a local competition as tag partners.

Ignacio fights with the moniker "Nacho" to keep his identity secret, while Steven adopts the name "Esqueleto" (skeleton). They get defeated in their first match but still get paid nicely, as wrestlers are entitled to a portion of the total revenue. They prove to be popular with the crowd so are invited back. They continue to wrestle every week, with Ignacio using the money to acquire better food for the orphans but becoming frustrated that they can never win. Ignacio tries everything he can think of, including a folk remedy to acquire the powers of an eagle, but success still eludes the two. He then seeks advice from champion luchador Ramses, who arrogantly rebuffs his attempts at conversation.

Undeterred, the duo infiltrates a party Ramses's manager holds for the best wrestlers in Mexico. Steven climbs over a wall to get inside, where he discovers that in order to be considered a professional, one must be the last luchador standing in the ring at an upcoming free-for-all match. Ignacio gets in by disguising himself as a member of the band playing live at the party, but does not know their material and improvises; Ramses finds Ignacio's performance annoying and ousts him. Attending the party causes Ignacio to fall behind on his responsibilities at the orphanage, for which he angrily blames Steven, who retaliates by declaring he hates all orphans; they acrimoniously end their partnership.

Ignacio's secret is revealed to the entire monastery when his robe catches fire during Mass when a candle falls on him, exposing his wrestling costume and forcing him to confess to everyone. He declares that he intends to fight at a battle royale for the right to take on Ramses for a cash prize, which he will use to buy a bus for the orphanage. During the match, wrestler Silencio ultimately emerges the victor after defeating Ignacio, who comes in second place. Ignacio is banished from the monastery, so he goes to live in the wilderness, which is actually very close to the nearby village.

The next morning, Steven comes to tell him that he ran over Silencio's foot after being outraged by his behavior toward a poor and hungry child. Since Silencio is too injured to fight and as the second-place finisher, Ignacio now has the right to fight Ramses; Ignacio and Steven agree to team up again. Ignacio is hesitant but Steven encourages him saying that not only does he fight well but the children need a hero to look up to that cares for them. That night, Ignacio sends a message to Encarnación, explaining his plan and confessing his love to her.

Ignacio overcomes difficulty and manages to do well in the match, winning the crowd's support, but Ramses cheats and nearly wins until Ignacio sees Encarnación enter the arena with the orphans. Inspired by their support, Ignacio rallies himself and defeats Ramses with a diving technique.

Ignacio becomes a professional wrestler and eventually manages to buy a bus for the orphans with his prize money; he then takes the orphans, Steven, and Sister Encarnación on a field trip to Monte Albán built by the Zapotec civilization. Ignacio, by now, has earned Encarnación's favor, as demonstrated by her signs of encouragement and his somewhat awkward acknowledgment thereof.

Cast[]

  • Jack Black as Ignacio/Nacho, a Oaxaca monastery cook who dreams of becoming a luchador
    • Troy Gentile as Young Ignacio
  • Ana de la Reguera as Sister Encarnación, a nun at the monastery
  • Héctor Jiménez as Steven/Esqueleto, Ignacio's tag partner
  • Silver King as Ramses, the luchador champion and Ignacio's idol
  • Carla Jimenez as Cándida, a portly woman who tries to court Steven at the luchador's party
  • Richard Montoya as Guillermo
  • Enrique Muñoz as Señor Ramon, Ramses' manager
  • Moisés Arias as Juan Pablo
  • Donald Chambers as Silencio, one of the wrestlers who defeats Nacho but is disqualified when Esqueleto runs over him, injuring his foot
  • Darius Rose as Chancho
  • Peter Stormare as Emperor, the local magic-man who claims that eating eagle eggs will give Ignachio the eagle's power
  • Diego Eduardo Gomez as Chuy
  • Human Tornado as El Snowflake, one of the luchadors who faces Nacho
  • Mascarita Dorada as one of Los Duendes

Production[]

Jack Black was a fan of the film Napoleon Dynamite (2004) and its director Jared Hess, and the two met in Los Angeles to discuss collaborating. Black was drawn to Hess' idea of a man of the Lord secretly living a life of violence via his love of lucha libre wrestling. He did, however, express concern over portraying a Mexican character, but Hess quelled his concerns by explaining Ignacio was supposed to be "a gringo" but born and raised in Mexico. While filming, Black sustained a gash on his eye after diving out of the wrestling ring during a stunt. He was rushed to the hospital but was able to continue filming. The film was shot entirely in Oaxaca, Mexico.

External links[]

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