Full Review

After his major role in last year's blockbuster "King Kong," Jack Black has taken several gorilla-sized steps backward with the infantile and dull comedy "Nacho Libre" (Paramount).

He plays the titular Nacho, a friar working as a cook in a Catholic boys' orphanage in Mexico who secretly takes up "lucha libre" wrestling -- with its wildly offbeat, often masked competitors -- while hoping to earn the admiration of a pretty young nun, Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera).

He acquires an emaciated (and atheist) sidekick, Esqueleto (the singularly unappealing Hector Jimenez), and the two of them become a popular -- if ever-losing -- team.

To his credit, Nacho uses the wrestling earnings to up the food quality at the orphanage, but he seems as much motivated by ego as humanitarian reasons -- until the end of the picture, anyway.

Director and co-writer Jared Hess' unfunny follow-up to "Napoleon Dynamite" is utterly lacking in charm, wit or taste. Beyond the pervasive crude humor, the puppy-love relationship of its protagonists, both in religious orders -- regardless of whether they've taken "final vows" -- precludes recommendation.

The "vows" reference, by the way, comes midway through the movie, but seems merely calculated to make the relationship more acceptable. Though their intimacy only goes as far as Nacho coming to Sister Encarnacion's room to eat toast, and going out on a "date" where at one point he pulls her toward him for protection from advancing tough guys, the flirtation is unseemly, going beyond Hollywood's past restraint in showing leading men chastely bonding with their clerical co-stars: "The Singing Nun," "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison," and "The Nun's Story" come to mind.

Despite heartwarming plot elements such as Nacho and Sister Encarnacion's dedication to the orphans, Nacho's redemptive turnabout and Esqueleto's ultimate acceptance of God in the ring, the overall tone is coarse and, even worse, demonstrates a shallow grasp of even the rudiments of that genuine art form, the screen comedy.

The film includes pervasive irreverence, slapstick violence in and out of the ring, including an impaling, innuendo, crude humor including flatulence, vulgar costuming, partial nudity and heedless thievery. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

These movies have been evaluated for artistic merit and moral suitability by the media reviewing division of Catholic News Service. The reviews include the CNS rating, the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief synopsis of the movie.

The classifications are as follows:

A-I -- general patronage;
A-II -- adults and adolescents;
A-III -- adults;
L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
O -- morally offensive.

Note: Some movies previously were designated A-IV. Older films with this classification should be regarded as classified L.