Nacho Libre is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta ("Friar Storm"), aka Rev. Sergio Gutierrez Benitez, a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador. He competed in order to support the orphanage he directed.
Some things work well, but many are strained in execution. There are times Nacho Libre looks like it's struggling to find a reason to continue.
– Tom Keogh,
Seattle Times,
16 Jun 2006
rotten:
The film's sheer lack of everything that customarily passes for comic fuel -- energy, wit, character, fun, a plot -- renders Nacho Libre a torturous patience tester of the first order.
– Geoff Pevere,
Toronto Star,
16 Jun 2006
fresh:
Nacho Libre strikes a delicate balance of whimsy and absurdity that may surprise auds primed to expect wall-to-wall slapstick.
– Joe Leydon,
Variety,
16 Jun 2006
rotten:
Nacho Libre, naively made kids' stuff, lacks such minor attributes as a decent script and supporting cast.
– David Denby,
New Yorker,
19 Jun 2006
rotten:
Imagine my disappointment then, which grew to disbelief, which turned into utter disdain, by the time the credits rolled on this clunker.