Nacho Libre is a 2006 sports comedy-drama film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. It stars Jack Black as Ignacio, a Catholic monk and lucha libre fan who secretly moonlights as a luchador to earn money for the orphanage where he works by day as a cook, knowing his fellow monks would look down upon his career and expel him if they discover it. He finds his ascetic, celibate lifestyle challenged even further when he falls in love with a nun who has just arrived to live in the monastery. 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 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. Despite that, it has now earned a cult following.
Plot[]
Ignacio's parents were a Scandinavian Lutheran missionary and a Mexican deacon, who both died when Ignacio was 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 a sin of vanity. Ignacio cares deeply for the orphans and loves them with all his heart, but his food is terrible because he cannot afford quality ingredients. He also struggles over his feelings for Sister Encarnación, a nun who teaches at the orphanage. One night, while collecting a bag of donated tortilla chips for the orphans, Ignacio is mugged of the chips by a street thief named Steven. After a fight between the two, Ignacio decides to disregard the monastery's rules and become a luchador in order to make money. He convinces Steven to join him with the promise of remuneration if they win, and the two join a local competition as tag partners.
Ignacio changes his name to "Nacho" to keep his identity secret, while Steven adopts the name "Esqueleto" (Skeleton). They are defeated in their first match, but are nevertheless paid, as every wrestler is entitled to a portion of the total revenue. They continue to wrestle every week, with Ignacio using his pay to buy and prepare better food for the orphans. Ignacio gets used to losing some fights, but after a while, he gradually grows annoyed with the consistent losses. Steven brings him to a water gypsy who tells Ignacio to climb to an eagle's nest, crack open the egg and swallow the yolk, claiming that he will gain the powers of an eagle. Ignacio completes the task, but still loses the next several bouts, frustrating him. He seeks advice from champion luchador Ramses, but Ramses is vain and in no mood to help aspiring wrestlers.
Ignacio's secret is finally exposed to the entire monastery when his robe catches fire during church, exposing his wrestling costume. He admits that he is Nacho and tells them that he intends to fight at a battle royale between eight luchadores for the right to take on Ramses, and for a cash prize, which he will use to buy a bus for the orphans. But the wrestler Silencio whose signature move is throwing people wins the match after piledriving Ignacio; Nacho comes in second place. Banished from the monastery, Ignacio leaves to live in the nearby wilderness.
The next morning, Steven comes to tell him that Silencio has been injured (by Steven) and cannot fight, meaning that Nacho—as the second-place finisher—receives the right to fight Ramses. Ignacio and Steven agree to team up again. That night, Ignacio sends a message via Steven to Encarnación, explaining his plan and confessing his love to her.
Despite initial difficulty, Nacho does well in the match. When the crowd begins to support Ignacio, Ramses resorts to cheating. Nacho is nearly defeated—indeed, unmasked—by Ramses, when Encarnación enters the arena with the orphans. Elated and inspired, Nacho rallies himself and defeats Ramses with an aerial diving technique.
Ignacio becomes a professional wrestler and, true to his word, buys a bus for the orphans with his prize money; he then takes Steven, Sister Encarnación and the orphans on a field trip to the city of Monte Albán built by the Zapotec civilization.
Cast[]
- Jack Black as Ignacio/Nacho, an Oaxaca monastery cook who was raised there when his parents have died and dreams of becoming a luchador
- Troy Gentile as Young Ignacio
- Ana de la Reguera as Sister Encarnació, a nun at Oaxaca 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
- Richard Montoya as Guillermo
- Enrique Munoz 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
- Diego Eduardo Gomez as Chuy
- Human Tornado as El Snowflake, one of the luchadors who faces Nacho
- Mascarita Dorada as one of Los Duendes