In a summer movie season already overflowing with overstuffed blockbuster turkeys, Nacho Libre is like a breath of fresh, absurd air. Here is a movie so strangely bizarre yet also strangely heartfelt that I found myself smiling and laughing almost all the way through it. It has a certain joy and charm that pours out from the screen and just makes you feel good. I credit most of this to Jack Black, in what is surely one of his most likeable performances in his career. With a visual style that somewhat reminded me of a Wes Anderson film (Rushmore, The Life Aquatic), the sense of humor of an early Zucker Brothers comedy, and a heart as big as...well, a Mexican wrestler, Nacho Libre is the first genuinely joyful filmgoing experience I've had this year so far.

Taking your standard underdog storyline and adding a fresh spin of absurdity in just about every cliche, the film follows a sweet-natured cook at a run down Mexican monastery named Nacho (Jack Black). He lives for his work, even if the church cannot afford decent ingredients for him to make meals. Though he dearly loves his faith and the orphans that he cooks for, he also has had a secret desire since childhood to be a professional Mexican wrestler. He longs for the glory and respect of the wrestling superstars, something he has never received from the Priests at his job. A chance encounter with a street thief named Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez) allows Nacho the chance to participate in tag team matches under the disguise of a masked luchador. Nacho sees a chance to make some money and finally earn some respect, as well as win the admiration of the saintly nun Sister Encarnacion (the lovely Ana de la Reguera). However, the deeper Nacho goes into the world of wrestling, he begins to find his dual lifestyles clashing, and he must decide whether to follow the path of his dreams or the path of his God.

Director and co-writer Jared Hess rose to fame with 2004's Napoleon Dynamite, a film which many loved but I personally could not stand. The movie seemed mean spirited in its depiction of its own characters, making it seem more like a freak show than an actual comedy. With Nacho Libre, the characters are just as bizarre and outrageous as the ones found in Dynamite, but this time, the movie is not laughing at them. These are real characters with genuine heart and feelings, and no matter how crazy or implausible the situations get, the movie never loses its focus on character or their relationships. The screenplay by writing team Jared and Jerusha Hess, along with Mike White (School of Rock), is a winning combination of your standard sports story, off beat humor, and sentiment that never seems forced or sappy. The movie is fresh and invigorating in its weirdness - from the many bizarre (yet eerily plausible) opponents that Nacho and Esqueleto find themselves going up against in the ring, to its slightly off kilter view of the world itself. There are many big laughs, and many smaller moments that just plain made me smile.

The film keeps itself fresh by playing against our expectations of the sports underdog genre. This puts a unique spin on some tired cliches, such as a scene late in the film that hilariously parodies the old standard of having a voice over reading a letter out loud as the character on the screen reads it. Another sequence that explains just how a woman can get around a house so quickly in pursuit of her lover is also one of the more memorable visual gags to appear in a live action comedy in quite a while. Not all of the jokes work, including a couple unfortunate fart gags that seem to have been added at the last minute to appeal to the kids in the audience, but for every gag that falls flat, there's usually one that works waiting just around the corner. The film is infectious and just plain giddy with its own weirdness. More than that, it is the characters themselves that endear the film to us. Despite their oddball nature, the film takes the time to let us get to know them and like them. And this is thanks mostly to the performances of a game cast.

With Nacho Libre, Jack Black has found a role that may be a work of comic gold. His facial expressions, mannerisms, and reactions to everything going on around him are enough to make me laugh, but thankfully, the screenplay also supplies him with some generally funny dialogue. He is sweet and likeable, and never becomes so goofy or outrageous that he loses our interest. He is energetic, but not manic, and pretty much demands our attention from the second he walks into the movie. He is supported by a strong and game cast who seem to be having just as much fun as he is. The real stand out is Ana de la Reguera, who makes her English-speaking film debut with the role of the kindly Sister that wins Nacho's attention and heart. She has a great screen presence and personality that helps fill her somewhat limited role, and makes it more memorable than it would be with a lesser actress in the part. She also has good chemistry with Black that it's a shame they share so few scenes alone together. As Nacho's wrestling partner, Hector Jimenez makes a good opposite to Black's energized performance, giving a subdued but still very funny turn.

I actually was quite surprised by Nacho Libre. I walked in expecting a goofy comedy, and although I got one, I also got a very sweet and winning film that constantly has its heart in the right place. It's not art, and it's certainly not going to be remembered as a "great" movie, but it's just so gleeful and full of life that I almost think it'd be impossible to hate. It's a silly and warm little movie that never wears out its welcome, and knows how to stage fighting scenes that are simultaneously hilarious and exciting. From the first frame to its last, Nacho Libre is just plain fun, something that I've been sorely missing from most movies I've seen. Here's to hoping the movie achieves a well-deserved sleeper hit status amongst the blockbusters of the summer.

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