Nacho Libre Viewed as a Love Letter

By the Adressee: Christopher J. Garcia

Nacho Libre is a love letter. Not just one love letter, but several love letters, all
sent out to the theatres for those of us who understood to pick up. It’s hard to explain, but
from the very first shot to the very last credit, I felt as if I’d been told by a small piece of
Hollywood that they appreciated me all along and this was their way of telling me.
The character of Ignacio (aka Nacho, played by Jack Black) may be the closest
any screen persona has ever come to being me. He’s a half-Mexican (I’m half-Anglo),
he’s a wrestling fanatic (I’ve been a fan since before I knew it rotted children’s minds),
he’s found a woman he loves and who he can never have (much like the saucy girl with
her cube down the way) and he’s a pudgy agile dude. That’s me, to a tee! He’s an outcast
who questions his place in the world and wonders if he could do more if he hid his
identity. As a guy who had to use a pseudonym for almost a decade, I can totally relate.
Nacho has been called stupid and far-fetched in many of the reviews to be found
on rottentomatoes.com, but the strange fact is it’s based on a couple of real people. In the
1970s and 80s, a guy calling himself Fray Tormenta was popular on several different
circuits, including doing tours of Southern California and Japan. He was a the wrestling
Friar, his ring name literally meaning Friar Storm, and he was an attraction that often
brought in good numbers at the smaller towns that seldom got to see Hijo del Santo or
Konan. At first, few people knew anything about him, and Tormenta seemed to like it that
way. One day, Hurancan Ramirez went to church while on the road and heard a very
familiar voice delivering the homily. Afterwards, Ramirez approached the Priest and said
“So it is true, you are a Friar.” The secret was out, the world of Lucha Libre (Mexican pro
wrestling) being a better gossip mill than your average sewing circle,