As wonderful as Napolean Dynamite is, I feared for the future of the film’s newbie writers Jared and Jarusha Hess. Was their first hit a fluke? Their follow-up Nacho Libre sounded like it had great potential to be funny and ridiculous, especially with Jack Black on board. As in the Napolean formula, most of the characters are goofy looking and stare emotionlessly into the camera, center-screen. The set-up is charming and innocuous. The hero is a loveable fish out of water, following his dreams and stuff. So what goes wrong? Where a sedate atmosphere works in a movie about awkward high school nerds, things aren’t amped up enough for a story centered around a crazy sport like Mexican wrestling. Even hyper Jack plays it too laid back, especially in the ring. Not a bad film, but it peters out after a few rounds.

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