History Film / NachoLibre

The movie features Black as Brother Ignacio, a monk who cooks at a poor children's orphanage. Having always dreamed of being a wrestler (and wanting to gain money to help feed the orphans) Ignacio assumes the SecretIdentity of the luchador Nacho, teamed up with a skinny man named Steve who goes by the stage name of Esqueleto (Skeleton).

* ArtisticLicenseSports: A great many liberties are taken with professional wrestling. The most glaring issue is that it presents wrestling as [[ProWrestlingIsReal real and not staged]], but this can be forgiven for the sake of the plot. However, certain basic rules in professional wrestling (even in {{kayfabe}}) are ignored. For example, to finish one match, the hero receives a tombstone piledriver, a move which is illegal in Mexico, where the story is set. In the climax of the film, he even pins his opponent... outside the ring. Granted, the opponent was running away so it's not like he had much of another choice. Plus, it makes for a much more satisfying conclusion.
* BashBrothers: A luchador team that takes on Ignacio and Esqueleto.

* ChildHater: Esqueleto admits to hating all the orphans of the world, at first at least.
* CoinsForTheDead: The movie opens with Brother Ignacio administering last rites to a man thought to have already died, then placing two coins over his eyes and covering him with a sheet. The man then wakes up and removes the sheet and turns his head to glare at Ignacio, causing the coins to fall to the floor.

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Jack Black for the most part does a convincing Mexican accent, but at times it sounds like he's playing an Italian.

* {{Acrofatic}}: Nacho and Esqueleto's admirer.

* WithCatlikeTread: Nacho attempts to jump Esqueleto, but he he farts before pouncing.

* WithCatlikeTread: Nacho's attempt to jump Esqueleto goes poorly for him when he farts before pouncing.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Ignacio's song he wrote to confess his love for Encarnacion. It's about them breaking their vows of celibacy, in a Nickelodeon movie.

* ConsolidationPrize: Both Nacho and Esqueleto are surprised when after their first failed wrestling match for a prize of 200 pesos the manager comes in with a envelope filled with money, telling them "we all get a piece" regardless. While this is enough for both men at first, since it allows them to achieve higher standards of living and help the orphans, Nacho slowly grows dissatisfied with getting "paid to lose" as their losing streak continues and seeks to win a real victory.

* HeroicBSOD: Nacho has one when he escapes to the wilderness after his second place battle royale finish.

* OutOfCharacterMoment: Esqueleto, self-proclaimed "man of science", suggests seeing a water gypsy to find [[PowerUpFood eagle eggs]] to get their strength.

* LullDestruction: The climax of the movie is punctuated with a [[ToiletHumour fart]], but this is Nickelodeon.

* ArtisticLicenseSports: A great many liberties are taken with professional wrestling. The most glaring issue is that it presents wrestling as [[ProWrestlingIsReal real and not staged]], but this can be forgiven for the sake of the plot. However, certain basic rules in professional wrestling (even in {{kayfabe}}) are ignored. For example, to finish one match, the hero receives a tombstone piledriver, a move which is illegal in Mexico, where the story is set. In the climax of the film, he even pins his opponent... outside the ring.

* BerserkButton: Don't tell Ignacio that you hate the orphans of the world. Or knock any corn out of Esqueleto's hand.

* MyParentsAreDead: Nacho to Encarnacion, when he explains how his mother was a Scandinavian Lutheran minister and his father was a Mexican deacon who tried to convert each other but got married instead. And then died for no specified reason.

* LethalChef: Downplayed with Nacho, who initially served slop only because that's the best he could do with the ingredients he can get. Once he starts wrestling and earning money he starts making much more appetizing salads.

* StreetUrchin: Steven aka Esqueleto started off as one, stealing the chips Nacho was supposed to use for his cooking. Nacho convinces him to fight with him (for the money) and becomes more well-off with their earnings.

* LoserProtagonist: Nacho is an overweight and somewhat obnoxious man that gets no respect from the other monks in the monastery, but he's well-meaning and the orphans look up to him at least. When he starts wrestling, the only person he can get to fight with him is Steve, a homeless man, and he proceeds to lose all his fights [[spoiler: except for the very last one.]]

* LoserProtagonist: Nacho is an overweight and somewhat obnoxious man that gets no respect from the other monks in the monastery, but he's well-meaning and the orphans look up to him at least. When he starts wrestling, the only person he can get to fight with him is homeless and he proceeds to lose all his fights [[spoiler: except for the very last one.]]

* LoserProtagonist: Ignacio is an overweight and somewhat obnoxious man that gets no respect from the other monks in the monastery, but he's well-meaning and the orphans look up to him at least. When he starts wrestling, the only person he can get to fight with him is homeless and he proceeds to lose all his fights [[spoiler: except for the very last one.]]

* JustAStupidAccent: The main characters speak stilted English as if to remind us that they're actually speaking Spanish.

* RaceLift: Strongly averted. Filmed and cast entirely in Mexico, except for Jack Black. Justified, considering Ignacio is half-Mexican.

* RaceLift: Strongly averted. Filmed and cast entirely in Mexico, except for Jack Black.