Nacho Libre

Last updated

Nacho Libre
Nacho Libre poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jared Hess
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyXavier Pérez Grobet
Edited by Billy Weber
Music by Danny Elfman [lower-alpha 1]
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • June 16, 2006 (2006-06-16)(United States)
  • August 11, 2006 (2006-08-11)(Mexico)
Running time
92 minutes [1]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million [3] [4]
Box office$99.3 million [3]

Nacho Libre is a 2006 sports comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White, and directed by Jared Hess. It stars Jack Black as Ignacio, a Catholic friar and secret lucha libre fan who moonlights as a luchador to earn money for the orphanage where he works. The film 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 to support the orphanage he directed. [5] The film was produced by Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, and Black & White Productions. [6]

Contents

Nacho Libre was released on June 16, 2006, in the United States by Paramount Pictures, and worldwide by United International 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 Scandinavian Lutheran missionary 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, 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 Silencio has been injured and cannot fight, and that as the second-place finisher, Ignacio now has the right to fight Ramses; Ignacio and Steven agree to team up again. 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

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. [7] The film was shot entirely in Oaxaca, Mexico. [8]

Music

Hess originally wanted musical artist Beck to be behind the soundtrack for the film. Beck, being a fan of Hess, accepted. However, Paramount Pictures did not think Beck's style fit the movie, so composer Danny Elfman was brought in to replace him. Elfman then wrote a full score and recorded it in May 2006. [9] However, only about 2/3 of Elfman's score ended up in the movie (with one of the songs, Ramses Suite, appearing in the released soundtrack). Due to how much of Elfman's music filled the film, Elfman's representatives asked that Elfman be the only person credited for the film's score. Hess caught wind of this and would not allow the studio to remove Beck from the credits. When finding that he would not have the only music credit, Elfman told Paramount to remove his name from the film. An agreement was eventually reached where both Beck and Elfman were credited for their respective parts of the score. [10] However, Elfman appears with sole credit in the official billing block on promotional material.

The theme song for the Japanese version is called "Go! Go! Carlito" by Jonny Jakobsen. [11]

Soundtrack

The track listing for the official soundtrack to Nacho Libre. [12] The soundtrack was released October 24, 2006

  1. Hombre Religioso (Religious Man) - Mister Loco
  2. "A Nice Pile-Drive to the Face" (dialogue) - Jack Black
  3. Move, Move, Move - Alan Hawkshaw and Alan Parker
  4. Papas - Mister Loco
  5. Piel Canela (Singing at the Party) - Jack Black with Ismael Garcia Ruiz y Su Trio
  6. Ramses Suite - Danny Elfman
  7. "All the Orphans in the World" (dialogue) - Jack Black and Héctor Jiménez
  8. There is No Place in This World for Me - Beck
  9. "I'm Serious" (dialogue) - Jack Black
  10. 10,000 Pesos - Beck
  11. Irene - Caetano Veloso
  12. Pump a Jam (Ramses) - Cholotronic
  13. Black is Black - Eddie Santiago
  14. Half Forgotten Daydreams - John Cameron
  15. Encarnación - Jack Black
  16. Tender Beasts of the Spangled Night - Beck
  17. Saint Behind the Glass - Los Lobos
  18. "Beneath the Clothes We Find the Man..." (dialogue) - Jack Black
  19. Forbidden Nectar - Jack Black and Mucho Macho Acapulco

Some songs that were not included on the soundtrack, but were in the movie, are "Mucha Muchacha" by Esquivel, "Bubblegum" by Mister Loco, "Holy Man" by Beck, "Bat Macumba" by Os Mutantes, and “La Llorona Loca” by Little Joe and the Latinaires.

Release and reception

Nacho Libre was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on June 16, 2006; it was distributed internationally by United International Pictures. The release date was originally set for May 2006, but was changed by Paramount to avoid competition from 20th Century Fox's X-Men: The Last Stand and one of Paramount's other films, Mission: Impossible III . It was then placed between the releases of Disney/Pixar's Cars (June 9) and Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' Superman Returns (June 28). It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 24, 2006. [13]

During its opening weekend, Nacho Libre grossed $28,309,599, opening at #2 behind Cars ' second weekend. [4] The total domestic box office stands at $80,197,993 and a worldwide total of $99,255,460. [3]

The film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approving rating of 40% based on 166 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. [6] The website's critical consensus states: "At times hilarious, but other times offensive, director Jared Hess is unable to recapture the collective charisma of his Napoleon Dynamite characters, and instead, relies on a one-joke concept that runs out of steam. Sure to entertain the adolescents, however". [6] Metacritic gave the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [4] [15]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "it takes some doing to make a Jack Black comedy that doesn't work, but Nacho Libre does it". [16] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle thought the comedy was "hit and miss, with good bits interrupted by dead patches". [8] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave it a positive review and called it "endearingly ridiculous". [17]

Video game

A video game adaptation of the film was published by Majesco Entertainment and was released for the Nintendo DS on October 26, 2006. It is a cartoon-style wrestling game based upon the film. [18]

Possible sequel

In November 2006, Jack Black, when asked, expressed his interest in a sequel: "I sure hope so, I love working with Jared. I think it's a good bet that we'll collaborate on something again. Mike had an idea that it would be Nacho goes to Japan, we'll see though." [19] However, Jared Hess (who directed the film) revealed in October 2009 that Paramount had never approached him about doing a sequel to Nacho Libre, though he said he would "love to work with Black again". [20]

Notes

  1. ↑ Beck was the initial composer, before being replaced by Elfman under orders from Paramount Pictures. Although most of the score used in the final film is from Elfman, director Jared Hess wanted Beck to receive credit for his tracks, which Elfman did not want. Ultimately, both are credited for their individual tracks in the end credits, but Elfman has sole credit in the official billing block used in promo material, despite only one of his songs appearing in the released soundtrack.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mil Máscaras</span> Mexican professional wrestler

Mil Máscaras is a Mexican luchador and actor. He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of the lucha libre tradition in Mexico – along with El Santo and Blue Demon – and has been described as the first international superstar of lucha libre. Mil Máscaras is considered one of the most influential wrestlers of all time for enhancing and popularizing the lucha libre style around the world, both in the ring and as the star of 20 films. He is also an accomplished artist and cultural ambassador for his native country and has appeared on three of its postage stamps. Although he has never been unmasked and his true identity is generally kept a secret out of respect for lucha libre traditions, his real name is known due to appearing in the credits of the films he has starred in. His ring name is Spanish for "Thousand Masks".

<i>Napoleon Dynamite</i> 2004 film by Jared Hess

Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 American independent coming of age teen comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt, and Sean Covel, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the titular character, a nerdy high-school student who deals with several dilemmas: befriending an immigrant who wants to be class president, awkwardly pursuing a romance with a fellow student, and living with his quirky family.

<i>Lucha libre</i> Mexican-style professional wrestling

Lucha libre is the term for the style of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colorful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and "high-flying" maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached. Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared and Jerusha Hess</span> American filmmakers

Jared Lawrence Hess and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess are husband-and-wife American filmmakers best known for their work on Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Nacho Libre (2006) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009), all of which they co-wrote and which were directed by Jared. For their film Ninety-Five Senses, they were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

Nickelodeon Movies Inc. is an American film production company owned by Paramount Global. Originally founded in 1995, it serves as both the film production arm of the American children's network Nickelodeon and the family film distribution label of Paramount Pictures, operating under its Paramount Players division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver King (wrestler)</span> Mexican professional wrestler (1968–2019)

César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón was a Mexican luchador enmascarado. He was known best as Silver King, but also had an extensive stint as the third wrestler to portray the Black Tiger character. He was the son of luchador Dr. Wagner and the brother of Dr. Wagner Jr. González worked for many years with El Texano as the tag team "Los Cowboys," winning tag team championships in both Mexico and Japan.

<i>Charlottes Web</i> (2006 film) 2006 film directed by Gary Winick

Charlotte's Web is a 2006 fantasy comedy-drama film based on the 1952 novel of the same name by E. B. White. Directed by Gary Winick and written by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick, it is the second film adaptation of E. B. White's book, and live-action/CGI remake of Paramount's 1973 animated feature film of the same name produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The film stars Dakota Fanning, Kevin Anderson, and Beau Bridges, with voices provided by Dominic Scott Kay, Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Haden Church, André Benjamin, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, and Robert Redford. Danny Elfman composed the film's score.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Demon</span> Mexican professional wrestler and actor

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno, better known by the ring name Blue Demon, was a Mexican film actor and luchador enmascarado. Blue Demon is considered a legend of lucha libre, partially from starring in a series of Lucha films between 1961 and 1979, often alongside in-ring rival El Santo. His in-ring career began in 1948 and stretched for 41 years until his retirement in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fray Tormenta</span> Mexican Catholic priest and lucha libre wrestler (born 1945)

Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez is a Mexican Catholic priest who founded and supported an orphanage for 23 years as a lucha libre wrestler. While performing, he wore a red and yellow mask and used the ring name Fray Tormenta. He made only sporadic in-ring appearances in the 2000s before retiring completely from wrestling in July 2011, but he still wears his mask even in his duties as a priest.

Mr. Loco, also known as Mister Loco or Mr. Loco Band, is a Mexican band formed in 1975. They sing mostly in English and occasionally in Spanish. Their sound is a combination of pop rock and Latin American folk.

<i>Nacho Libre</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Nacho Libre is a video game for the Nintendo DS based upon the film of the same name. It was developed by Budcat Creations for Majesco Entertainment and released in 2006 in the US, and 2007 in Europe and Australia. The game was notable for its "Photo Puppety" art style, where still photos of characters from the film are used on 3D models.

Máximino Linares Moreno was a Mexican luchador and lucha film star, better known under the ring name Rayo de Jalisco. He is considered to be one of the best wrestlers of his generation. Linares' son followed in his footsteps and is working under the name Rayo de Jalisco Jr., wearing the same distinctive black mask with silver lightning bolt on it when wrestling. One of Linares' grandsons is also a wrestler, known as "Rayman".

<i>Gentlemen Broncos</i> 2009 American film

Gentlemen Broncos is a 2009 American comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared Hess.

Justin Stanley is an Australian musician, producer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huracán Ramírez</span> Mexican luchador

Daniel García Arteaga, best known under the ring name Huracán Ramírez, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado and actor. García was neither the first, nor the last, wrestler to work under the name "Huracán Ramírez". He was given the name in the mid-1950s, when the wrestler who originally played Huracán in the 1953 film Huracán Ramírez decided to give up the role in the ring because he no longer wanted to obscure his face with the mask. Thus, García became the second wrestler to wrestle in the ring under the Huracán identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firpo Segura</span> Mexican boxer

Francisco Segura García was a Mexican Boxer, Movie actor and Luchador, or professional wrestler best known under the ring name Firpo Segura, given the name after the Argentine boxer Luis Ángel Firpo. As a boxer he held both the Mexican Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Championship and as a luchador he won the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship on four occasions and the Mexican National Middleweight Championship once. Segura became one of the first Mexican born stars of Lucha Libre and is at times referred to as the "First Idol of Lucha Libre" being one of the first Mexican born wrestlers to receive top billing in lucha libre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murciélago Velázquez</span> Mexican professional wrestler (1910 – 1972)

Jesús Velázquez Quintero, better known under the ring names El Murciélago Enmascarado and Murciélago Velázquez, was a Mexican luchador. Velázquez was the fourth wrestler in Mexico to wear a wrestling mask and the second Mexican to work as an enmascarado in the history of lucha libre. He became the first wrestler in Mexico to be forced to unmask, losing a Lucha de Apuestas to Octavio Gaona, creating the most prestigious match type in lucha libre. He once held the Mexican National Middleweight Championship and after his retirement was the head of the Mexico City boxing and wrestling commission for a while.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triangular en Jaula</span> 2018 International Wrestling Revolution Group event

The Triangular en Jaula show is a major lucha libre event produced and scripted by Mexican professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), that took place on November 15, 2018 in Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico. The show was sponsored by Flufenax and the six top matches were shown live on the +LuchaTV YouTube channel.

David Klawans is an American film producer. He is the executive producer of the movie Argo, winner of the Best Picture Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. Klawans has been described in the press as a 'story detective' and is known for developing obscure true stories into movies.

<i>The Unexpected Race</i> 2018 American film

The Unexpected Race is a 2018 American fantasy film starring Jack Black, Jon Heder and Clint Pulver. Unexpected Race was written, directed, and produced by Stephen Groo.

References

  1. ↑ "NACHO LIBRE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . June 15, 2006. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Nacho Libre (2006)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Nacho Libre (2006)". Box Office Mojo . Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Friedman, Josh (June 19, 2006). "'Cars' Still Outpacing Competitors". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022. the B-plus given to "Nacho Libre,"
  5. ↑ Nusbaum, Eric (January 8, 2015). "Addict, Priest, Luchador: The Unbelievable Life of Fray Tormenta". Vice. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Nacho Libre". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Jack Black Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters". GQ . December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022– via YouTube.
  8. 1 2 LaSalle, Mick (June 16, 2006). "He sings, wrestles and has a fake Mexican accent. But Jack Black alone can't wrangle 'Nacho Libre'". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Danny Elfman scores Nacho Libre - ScoringSessions.com". Scoring Sessions. May 5, 2006. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  10. ↑ Sampson, Mike. "The truth behind Nacho's music - JoBlo.com". Joblo. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  11. ↑ https://s.cinemacafe.net/article/2006/09/03/516.html
  12. ↑ "Amazon.com: Nacho Libre: Various Artists: Music". Amazon. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Nacho Libre Movie - Starring Jack Black - Directed by Jared Leto - Official Site". Archived from the original on September 2, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Nacho Libre Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Nacho Libre" in the search box). CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ Roger Ebert (June 15, 2006). "Pepper Jack". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2022– via RogerEbert.com.
  17. ↑ Dargis (June 16, 2006). "A Tender Heart in Stretchy Pants and Ankle Boots in 'Nacho Libre' (Published 2006)" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Nacho Libre for DS - GameSpot". GameSpot . CBS. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Jack Black Talks 'Be Kind Rewind' and a Possible 'Nacho Libre 2'". ropeofsilicon.com. November 19, 2006. Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  20. ↑ Ellwood, Gregory (October 30, 2009). "Jared Hess says he's never been asked about making 'Nacho Libre 2'". HitFix . Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.