The geek shall inherit the Earth. In their debut feature Napoleon Dynamite, husband and wife screenwriting team Jared and Jerusha Hess crafted a delightfully quirky coming-of-age story about a socially awkward misfit's ill-fated attempt to campaign for high school class president.
Directed by Jared, the film was beautifully observed, threaded with surreal moments of comic genius and a genuine affection for the dysfunctional characters.
For their eagerly awaited follow-up, the couple collaborate with screenwriter Mike White (The School Of Rock) on a truly unique tale of sporting ambition, focused on another misunderstood soul: a kind-hearted half-Mexican, half-Scandinavian monk with a secret passion for Lucha Libre wrestling.
Jack Black, the one-man comic dynamo, squeezes himself into Lycra to inhabit the title role of Nacho, including a series of brilliantly orchestrated fights in the ring.
Belly laughs are in short supply and the pacing is rather pedestrian, so the film is frequently on the ropes. However, the leading man's zany, over-the-top theatrics, including no less than two songs delivered in a cod Mexican accent, piledrive us into submission. Ignacio (Black) works as a cook in a backwater Mexican monastery where he serves up unpalatable slop masquerading as nourishing food to the poor orphans.
Moved by the plight of the little ones, Nacho concocts a simple plan to raise more money: to realise his childhood dream and become his a wrestler, taking on all comers with his tag-team partner Esqueleto - The Skeleton (Hector Jimenez).
Movie double-acts come in all shapes and sizes ...and with varying degrees of success.
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