Nacho Libre -- have you seen it???

[Catholic Wife]

Has anyone seen Nacho Libre yet? If so, what did you think of it?


I went to see it yesterday and there were a few things that bothered me about this movie. First, the main character -- Nacho. Is he just the cook at the monastery, or is he a brother who has taken his vows (which are alluded to towards the end of the movie)? I was under the impression that he is a brother/monk because of what he wears and the fact that he was sent to minister to a sick man (taking on more "priestly" duties, as the other brother puts it). Second, it seems that the brothers at the monastery are pretty overt about their lusts towards the solitary nun (Sister Encarnación) -- things like Nacho being alone with the nun in her cell and another brother sending Nacho to minister to a sick man so he can spend time alone with the nun. Third, toward the end of the movie, the main character writes a letter to the nun basically telling her that he has feelings for her and saying he would be willing to give up his vows to her if she is also willing to give up her vows.

So here's what bothers me.
First, would a nun be sent alone into a monastery? Second, the brothers/monks are portrayed as being obviously lustful toward the nun without being repentant. Third, the fact that the main character asks the nun to give up her vows to marry him is akin (at least in my opinion) to a married man asking another man's wife to run off and marry him.

Am I being "too sensitive" about the way the brothers and nun were portrayed (someone told me I was)? Or does it seem that this is yet another movie that puts religious life and the Catholic Church in a bad light but disguises it as "harmless" humor to appeal to the masses?

 

[Filia Mariae]

I haven't seen it but I don't think you're overreacting- the Bishops' Conference rated it morally offensive.

http://www.nccbuscc.org/movies/n/nacholibre.shtml

 

[frettr00]

I haven't seen it yet.. I think Jack Black is hilarious though so I'll probably give it a rental at least.

 

[Gwendolyn]

Remember that celibacy is a virtue completely foreign to our sex-drunken culture. Therefore it is not surprising that yet another film portraying any sort of man or woman religious would have him/her giving up their vows, because our culture has a very difficult time comprehending the value of the celibate life at all, let alone comprehending why it is a grace and a gift from God.

I would likely be upset if I saw it, but what else could you expect from a Jack Black movie? They are not exactly the pinpoints on a moral compass.

 

[Rising_Suns]

Am I being "too sensitive" about the way the brothers and nun were portrayed (someone told me I was)? Or does it seem that this is yet another movie that puts religious life and the Catholic Church in a bad light but disguises it as "harmless" humor to appeal to the masses?

I don't think you're being too sensative. Anything that uses the breaking of monasitic vows as its comedic platform is crossing the line. It is glorifying adultery.

What if holywood made a similar movie, where instead of being a monk, the main character is a married man. Now picture the scenes where he hits on the nun. What is the impression you would get? He is a married man who wants to have an affair with another woman (the nun), which is comdeic basis for the movie. I don't think people in general would be too happy about a movie like that.

-Davide

 

[Brother_Justin]

I will not be giving this movie my money.






Brother Justin <><

 

[BillH]

What if holywood made a similar movie, where instead of being a monk, the main character is a married man. Now picture the scenes where he hits on the nun. What is the impression you would get? He is a married man who wants to have an affair with another woman (the nun), which is comdeic basis for the movie. I don't think people in general would be too happy about a movie like that.

I think you're overestimating the tastes of the moviegoing public. I could totally see that movie being made.

That's a bit unfortunate. I was actually considering seeing it -- I would never go to a Jack Black movie for moral instruction, but my residual teenage parts find him hilarious.

 

[faerieevaH]

Actually that movie has been made. Even more specifically, a happily married woman is asked to leave her husband for another woman that she 'instantly fell for' while she was walking down the aisle.

I just saw that one in the movietheater, I kept not being able to believe my eyes! It's called 'me & you'.

 

[Woodsy]

The trailers also bothered me when I saw Black flirting with the nun and displaying his buttocks to her.

The filmmaker (Jared Hess) is a Mormon, and I don't remember them loving our Church or its institutions very much.

What Hess does interject into &#8216;Nacho Libre&#8217; which sets it apart from his first film is his Mormon background. Not only does the picture openly mock the Catholic Church and its rather conservative beliefs, but it also ridicules the war between religion and science, going so far as to having Nacho baptize his atheist tag team partner. Some will find it amusing, others utterly offensive, but that is what you get when you cover religion in a comedy geared towards families. There is one rather amusing sequence that does toy with biblical scripture quite well, placing Nacho on a trek through the wilderness akin to Jesus&#8217; time spent in the desert.

From here.