Napoleon Dynamite is a family favorite, thus when we first saw trailers for Nacho Libre we knew that despite the fact that it was destined to be stupid, we would be in the theatre to revel in that stupidity. Jared and Jerusha Hess have teamed up once again to write and direct an unconventional comedy and eventhough it doesn’t have the same charm as Napoleon Dynamite, it is a very fun film. Napoleon Dynamite is a superior comedy because so much of what went on in the film actually happened to the film makers in their youth. That foundation in reality gave a poignancy to the comedy that is lacking in Nacho Libre. However if you can get past comparing it to its predecessor I think you’ll find Nacho Libre to be an engaging film.

The premise for the film is fairly simple. Jack Black stars as Ignacio, a cook in a humble Mexican orphanage who has dreamed since childhood of the glory and fame of the Lucha Libre wrestlers. The arrival of an attractive Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera, who is glowingly beautiful) soon ignites a competition for her affection between Ignacio and one of the other friars. That combined with his frustration over the poverty of the orphanage causes Ignacio to take advantage of a fateful meeting with a wirey street urchin Esqueleto (Héctor Jiménez) whom he convinces to join him in the local tag team matches of the lucha libre. In order to hide his identity to cover up the “sin” of being a wrestler, Ignacio adopts the name Nacho and fights for glory and fame.

Nacho and Esqueleto are predictably bad and a large portion of the comedy of the film comes in the form of the various wrestling matches and their antics in the ring. When not performing the physical comedy of the wrestling scenes Jack Black still shines with his own unique brand of humor and while not every moment of the film is laugh-out-loud funny there are several groan-inducing moments that are still quite fun. Underlying the slap-stick stupidity of the film is an endearing heart. The orphans are very cute, funny boys who latch onto your heart immediately. And the love story between Ignacio and Sister Encarnacion is very sweet.

If you are the type of person who enjoys low-brow humor I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with Nacho Libre. It is entertaining throughout and while not all of the humor works as well as it could there are many funny moments. The romantic comedy elements combined with the charm of the young orphans helps this film rise above others in its genre.