Nacho Libre! Kindness in a World of Greed

In our world today, there are many different types of films. Ranging from comedy, romance, to action and adventure. They all carry a different theme. Now imagine you turn on your TV and come upon this small chubby child that grabs ahold of different items to create his own wrestler's outfit. Suddenly, two nuns take away his outfit and put him into a monk’s robe. It seems as if this small child’s dreams of being a wrestler are of no good at all. Such is the movie Nacho Libre, directed by Jared Hess. The movie is one of the most well written stories for its time. It is filled with comedy gold and even includes a small innocent Romeo and Juliet type romance. Nacho Libre contains a lovely theme about the power of kindness and is a beautifully crafted film that carries a unique story telling method. 

Nacho Libre is set in Mexico and introduces Ignacio. He is a chef for a monastery and helps cook the food for the children and monks every day. But because the orphanage is poor, they only have enough to eat a thick brown soup with chips. One day, Ignacio comes across a sign that is offering 200 pesos to the winner of a wrestling match for new wrestlers. Desperate to win and become the wrestler he’s always wanted to be, Ignacio convinces Esqueleto, a thief known for stealing the orphans’ chips, and together they enter the match. Unfortunately, the two lose terribly. They aren’t expecting a payment until a man walks in and hands them a paycheck. He encourages them to continue wrestling and to come back for another match. The man says that the people love these new wrestlers. 

However, wrestling is considered unholy in the church, and that is why Ignacio has to keep it a secret that he is the wrestler named Nacho. 

As time goes on, Ignacio begins to forget his cooking duties at the monastery. What was once started for good, is now being used to benefit himself. He buys himself boots, nice clothes. He even attempts to show off his fighting skills to Encarnacion, a nun that came to the church to help teach the children, by planning to have Esqueleto show up and pretend to rob them. This planned show fails horribly when Ignacio accidentally confuses Esqueleto’s men with some random strangers on the street. 

As his wrestling career continues to lead him down a path of losses, Ignacio does not quit what he’s doing. He wants to be seen by Ramses (the best wrestler in the town) but Ramses looks down on Ignacio and the lowly people. However, during a royal rumble, Ignacio wins second place. He is disappointed about this and heads home. Unfortunately for him, his monk clothes catch on fire and reveal his wrestling clothes underneath. He runs away from the monastery and goes to live on his own. 

Esqueleto finds Ignacio and tells him that the one that will go against Ramses is injured and he will be the one to fight Ramses.

The movie concludes with Ignacio winning the wrestling match and getting enough money to buy the kids a bus to go on field trips. (Hess)

One of the central themes in Nacho Libre is kindness. In the film we see Ignacio as a cook for the children in the orphanage. He plays with them, serves their food, and goes with them to the church. He spends most of his time with them. Ignacio has a special place in his heart for the orphans and that is clearly seen through the film. Later on in the movie, his teammate Esqueleto says that he hates orphans. Ignacio is upset about this and grabs Esqueleto, offended by this. Although his fighting technique is very unorthodox, he still shows his heart is for the orphans. 

But not only is Nacho Libre packed with great themes, the cinematography is amazing. Most of the film was done in Mexico, though some scenes were shot in LA. The cameras are placed in a way that draws the audience in and makes them feel as though they are sitting right there and following Ignacio’s story. The soundtrack is simple, but effective. The people that created the film have a main theme song that plays much of the time. This song is very catchy and will be stuck in one’s head even after the film is done. Along with a great soundtrack and camerawork being done, the movie has an amazing cast. Jack Black as Ignacio, Ana de La Reguera as Encarnacion, and Hector Jimenez as Esqueleto. The audience will fall in love with the cast and see the beauty of Mexico. They will cheer and root for this lowly friar monk, and will laugh along with the jokes along the way. 

Nacho Libre is a fun film that not only teaches its viewers what kindness can do, but has a very unique storytelling style. The movie does an amazing job of showing the audience Ignacio’s love for the orphans and how far he would go to help them and to make them happy. He becomes a role model for all the children in the monastery and with his kind heart shows a different side of wrestling. The good kind. The kind in which the wrestler fights for good. The film is quirky and will make people laugh. Its unique storytelling will draw in its audiences and not only tell the story of Ignacio, but will be a film that will stay in the hearts of many. This amazing movie will be a story for many generations to come.