Nacho LibreMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 52 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
10 OK for kids 10+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    What's rare to see, and what ultimately makes Nacho Libre so enjoyable, is the story of an underdog who's allowed to remain a humble clown all the way to becoming a hero. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    Endearingly ridiculous. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    What is missing in plot and character development is made up for in silly fun. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen

    An amiably clunky, unapologetically silly summer confection that nevertheless lands sufficient lethal slams to the funny bone. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    Nacho Libre strikes a delicate balance of whimsy and absurdity that may surprise auds primed to expect wall-to-wall slapstick. Read full review

  • 50
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    This Nacho leaves your palate longing for more spice and less rancid cheese. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    Is it funny? Now and then. Stupid? Very. Racist? Possibly. Ugly? Profoundly. Wild? Undeniably. Singular? Completely. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The comedy is hit and miss, with good bits interrupted by dead patches. It's a movie to root for more than to enjoy. Read full review

  • 38
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    It takes some doing to make a Jack Black comedy that doesn't work. But Nacho Libre does it. Read full review

  • 33
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    You can see what the film was going for, but the jokes just sit there; you chuckle a few times, mostly out of lame hope, but you never bust a gut, never really get what you came for. Read full review

View more reviews for Nacho Libre on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 10+ A sweet, offbeat movie about caring for others.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know this movie contains a lot of comic action – including some training sessions where Ignacio gets splattered by food and attacked by bees -- and some violence in the wrestling ring (body slams, flying leaps, one character gets a corn cob in the eyesocket). Basically, the stuff 11-year-old boys everywhere will love with nothing to alarm the parents. Some of Nacho's opponents are quirky characters, including some feral dwarf wrestlers.
  • Families can talk about the importance of helping others. Do you have particular gifts (i.e. music, art, ability to talk with others) that could be used to help others? Is it ok for Ignacio to become a masked wrestler, even though the church elders frown on it? Are his motives – helping the orphans – a good enough reason to become a masked wrestler? And how does the Lucha Libre wrestling bring the Mexican community together?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Lots of butt-jokes, including passing gas, buttcracks, sphincter-flexing, diarrhea, and feces; also, references to stealing, and even though Ignacio is helping the orphans, he goes against the church elders to become a wrestler.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: A street fight and lots of action in the wrestling ring, including flying leaps, body slams, and "the Anaconda Squeeze" also, some "don't try this at home" stunts involving rocks, arrows, bees, fruit, and a bull. No blood.
  • sex false0 Sex: Mild innuendo between Ignacio and Sister Encarnacion ("I was wondering if you would like to join me in my quarters this night…for some toast.")
  • language false3 Language: The Mexican accent is played for laughs, i.e. "Puppies" is pronounced "poopies".
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Mild references.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Nacho Libre Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 1,407 fan reviews

Critics say

So-so See all critic reviews

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