Jack Black wrestles, prays for laughs

School of Rock star Jack Black teams with Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess in the new off-beat comedy Nacho Libre.

Black plays Nacho, a Mexican monk who dreams of becoming a luchador, a Mexican professional wrestler. Nacho's problem is that the monastery will not allow his pro-wrestling ambitions to interfere with his normal duties, namely cooking for the orphans.

Naturally, instead of casting aside his dreams, he joins a Lucha Libre tournament and moonlights as a luchador. His goal is to garner all the fame and recognition of the loving crowd, as well as to help the monastery in the process. Furthermore, he desperately wants to impress a nun, Sister Encarnación, whom he considers more than just a "Sister."

What follows is a series of crazy events in which Nacho tries to conceal his second life, in spite of his attempts to ascend the ladder of premier luchadores. As is to be expected from a Jack Black movie, Nacho utilizes bizarre and resourceful methods to become the best luchador he can be, and over-the-top efforts to keep it a secret.

Nacho's role was tailored especially for Black and it fits like a glove. He dons an exaggerated Mexican accent but rarely speaks Spanish in the movie. His physical comedy, mannerisms and personality fuse well with Nacho's.

For the better part of the film Black wears stretchy pants and lets his fat hang out. Most out-of-shape actors wouldn't dare to go shirtless while the camera is rolling, but Black loves to bare it for the audience whenever possible.

His physical style of humor works, but still, seeing his butt crack on the big screen was a bit much for me.

Nacho Libre is a Nickelodeon production, which means it is a wacky, off-beat film targeted towards kids. If you like that kind of humor, then this movie will appeal to you.

The heart of the film centers around the comedic wrestling sequences in which Nacho gets clobbered by oddly dressed and oddly shaped wrestlers.

However, Nacho Libre is not all fun and games. The movie starts off a tad slow and dry, and it takes some time to build momentum. But once Nacho finds his calling as a wrestler, the movie picks up steam and settles into its style of humor.

Unfortunately, the film loses focus halfway through when Nacho's wrestling career fails and he reacts in a way unbecoming of his character. Luckily, Black pulls it back together to deliver a funny, satisfying ending.

Nacho Libre is not the best movie of the year, but it is one of the most amusing. It is fun and easily forgettable, but a good choice for a night of frivolity.