There’s lots of buzz right now around the new movie Nacho Libre”, in which comedian Jack Black portrays a Mexican lucha libre hero. I first heard about the movie a few months ago when a friend sent me the trailer, and I have to admit that the thought “racist” did cross my mind. I haven’t seen the movie and probably won’t, not because of the racism issue, but because it doesn’t look all that funny to me. But others have, and are commenting on the issue of whether the movie is to be taken as racist against Mexicans or just good clean fun:
The Orlando Sentinel’s movie blog says:
We’re on tricky ground, here. The movie could be accused of Catholic bashing, wrestling fan bashing (mouth-breathing morons, even in Mexico, it suggests) and a serious case of political incorrectness. But I don’t think it reaches the level of racism.Put-on accents can be racist. What is Apu of The Simpsons but a week-in, week-out stereotype?
The Portland Tribune disagrees:
The jokes are painfully unfunny, the wrestling scenes are uninvolving, the script is obsessed with toilet humor, and the premise is woefully underdeveloped. In a borderline racist move, Hispanic actors appear less as full characters than as grotesques, with supposed humor derived from their old age, lousy teeth or crossed eyes.
Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette says it’s relative:
Some may consider the film racist in terms of its Latino stereotypes and accents, but one man’s racism is another’s legit ethnic comedy. Nacho tells Esqueleto that they never win because Esqueleto doesn’t believe in God. Esqueleto thinks about it a second before replying, “We never ween because jew are FAT!”
Writer Li Wang of Pennsylvania’s Patriot News is outraged:
I can’t recall the last time I was actually angry after seeing a movie. After witnessing the preview screening of “Nacho Libre,” I wanted to throw a football at the head of the director/co-writer Jared Hess……Here again, is Hess making fun of his subjects in a mean-spirited tone. It’s one thing to poke fun at racial stereotypes, it’s another thing to be racist. If you are Mexican and poor, it does not mean you are stupid too. “Nacho Libre” makes that assumption.
Have you seen Nacho Libre? What do you think? Is it racist? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Image via FilmThreat.com
- Tags: jack black, Movies, nacho libre, racism
Hola!
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
About | Advertise with us | Contact | Twitter
blog advertising is good for you
blog advertising is good for you
- Maegan La Mala: Aww Thank you Vicky - so kind of you to stop by and comment. I am working on a day one post as I wri [...]
- Vicky B., MSW (@DocSabia): I look forward to your take on the trip as a whole, your critique, and your insight! Some of my [...]
- Karen: Have you see the census figures for 2010? Latinos are not all that diverse. Most" Latinos" are Mexic [...]
- Maegan La Mala: Hi Karen, I agree but only in part. I think that people do get up in cults of personality but th [...]
- Maegan La Mala: I haven't heard anything about a rally being held Jose Luis. i know Presente.org is organizing a pet [...]
- Washington DC Bound
- By Land & By Sea Drawing Attention to Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera
- Welcome to NY Secure Communities
- DOJ Puts Sheriff Arpaio on Notice. Who Will Put the DOJ on Notice?
- VL at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival: Babygirl
- 45th Precinct Residents to File Complaint Against Abusive NYPD Officers
- Monday Musica : Maga Bo – Quilombo do Futuro
- NYC : Confronting Police Violence in the Courts – May 19, 1-3pm – Justice Committee Workshop
- Passage of NYS DREAM Fund No Dream Come True
- No Surprise in the S-Comm Task Force Sham
15 Responses to Nacho Libre: Racist?
Tenoch
June 19th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
OK, how about a “funny” movie where a Mexican plays an idiot Anglo?
And instead of “Nacho” his name is “Cracker” –let’s see the U.S. film industry produce that one.
commando
June 20th, 2006 at 2:44 am
mean spirited tone? Whatever– this PG movie was very kind to the characters. There was a pretty broad range of character also– if you actually watched the movie. BTW– Jack Black plays a Guero– and the other characters tell him as much, which is the only racial slur on here, ironically. Are movies no longer able to feature ethnic types for fear of being called racist now?
melissa_cookingdiva
June 20th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Jennifer, when I saw the trailers sometime ago—I did not focus on any racism, but on pure fun. That guy is funny, I coulnt stop laughing
Maegan la Mala
June 20th, 2006 at 8:45 am
I’ve read alot about the movie and for some reason I’m having a really hard time with this. It borders on racism and that’s enough for me not to see it. It makes fun of the lucha libra culture which trust me, deserves to be made fun of ( i used to love that stuff as a kid) but I wonder how much of that becomes a poking of fun at Mexicano culture . I mean really “Nacho”? I know peeps will say it’s shot for ignacio but do you really thing U.S. audiences are gonna get that nuanced about it?
We’re skipping it in this household.
e
June 20th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Its as racist as a white Mexican actor playing Michael Jackson…….
El Chapin
June 20th, 2006 at 10:42 am
–OK, how about a “funny” movie where a Mexican plays an idiot Anglo?
And instead of “Nacho” his name is “Cracker” –let’s see the U.S. film industry produce that one.
–
Don’t reinforce the stereotype by being an idiot, which you and the PC “it’s racist crowd” are doing.
Ever seen “Three burials of some illegal Mexican”?
Oh wait, it has to be called “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” and have the stereotypical white racists, blah, blah, blah.
BTW, how are White Americans portrayed in Sub border films? How about the American Government?
The shut up and grow up.
Maegan la Mala
June 20th, 2006 at 11:56 am
The problem is that all of your analysis (or lack thereof) does not acknowledge the power paradigm that exists in terms of race and nationality.
Tenoch
June 20th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
El Chapin,
Someday we all hope to be as mature and morally superior as you are.
In the meantime, I suggest reading other people’s posts before commenting. I never called the film racist, did I? How inconvenient facts are, El Chapin!
The Gossiper
June 20th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Interesting topic. I’m all for Latin Pride, but I have to say that I don’t think that this film is racist. I know two Mexicans named Nacho and they speak with thick accents and I don’t think they’re racists. I see having a white guy play a Latin man as a step closer to Latin men taking on more roles that would otherwise be given to a white man.
E
June 20th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
We must acknowledge the “power paradigm” in scenarios where they matter most, in particular when directors are portraying Latinos as drug dealers, maids, etc.
The movie was really funny and in my opinion it wasn’t racist (it’s a funny movie!! the main characters in funny movies ussually play idiots ex: Napoleon Dynamite, Old School,etc).
The problem that I had with it (and that I have with Holliwood) is that they did not cast a Latino for the leading role. There is a lack of Latinos in leading roles, directing, and writing in the industry and this really matters when accurately portraying our community.
Jeff B
August 6th, 2006 at 10:45 am
Hollywood movies are genrally mean’t for white people …. the movie industry was never meant for latinos & blacks nor asians or any mixed race people and the funny thing about this is that the Jews helped support the racism in the film industry!!!
The film industry in hollywood only sees white people……. until you have more ethnic movie producers…. that is what it will always be.
You have a few good Latino and Asian, Black actors in Hollywood. and hundreds that you don’t ever see…. but Hollywood has pretty much field there quota on Latino and Black, Asian actors and actresses ……no matter what they tell you or try to sell you…your eyes don’t lie and neither does the camera…but white people do every day in this industry and they don’t have to change there racist ways because they have the industry in the palm of there hands just like anything else in this country.
“Hollywood and the Movie and TV Industry belongs to “White People” and was never meant for anyone else….just like the clothes for “Tommy Hilfiger”…where never meant for “Blacks to Wear”
People of all ethnic backgrounds in this country are brain and whitewashed and the actors and actresses are too… they don’t see the big picture!!!…the big picture is that the movie and TV Shows were meant to advertise White Men and White Women!!! and to glorify there image all over the world…and this is an inside thing…. something you will not read in a book or find anywhere else ….why do you think that most of all the casting calls are mainly cast by race and ethnicity?
Well …..take a strong look at how all the movies are being created to today when they have beautiful Latino or Black and Asian women in movies and TV and very few at that.. who are they coupled up with?….well lets see?…hum.. Ok “White Men” you will very rarely see it the other way around. The Movie and TV glorify White Men as the bread winners voted the worlds Sexiest and the Wittiest and Romantic Adventuress, Responsible and Caring.
And when they show a Latin and Black guy or Asian guys on TV ….well lets see?…he is Funny, Comical….A bad guy or a thug and just a Karate fighter and also as your Traditional Side kick!!!.
If you think That … I am full of crap and negative for stating all this… you just turn on your TV or just go to the movies and you tell me what you see….remember your eye’s don’t lie neither does the camera !!!
A solution to all this above? quit supporting there ratings and there movies and rental movies and just get regular basic cable and save your money instead of making these people “Become Richer” who don’t want to see you on the TV succeed … and when you hit white people in there pockets then you will see a change …see Asians and Latinos and African Americans and all other ethnic races of people you have the power …it is at your finger tips to a remote to your TV set you can make a difference.
If you don’t …it will get worse!!!
latina
October 8th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
this movie is a retarded portrayal of what mexicans are like. which they are not. me being mexican, i know what my country and people are like and we are not reatrded lucha libre fighters. i think this potrayal of us and of Catholicism is completely wrong. they make fun of our religion too. a nun going out with a monje? please.
the movie wasnt even funny. i think it was racist, alright.
and no, mexican movies dont make fun of any Americans in any way. watch them and you’ll see.
you guys have the wrong idea of us. very wrong.
billmore time
October 25th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
C’m jew guys, can jew see dat dis feelm is a greet peez of trava, I meen work
mimi
May 1st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I’m a latina & white & I watched that movie & It seems to me that the film industry doesn’t give a rats ass about who they offend as long as there movie is a blockbuster because I personally was offended because, yes mom is a house cleaner & yes my mom does talk like that & her name isn’t taco & we’re not even cathoclic & it wasn’t even funny & tried to laugh but I couldn’t do it, it was a bad imitation of Napoleon Dynamite
jony man
July 15th, 2008 at 12:20 am
this movie was hilarious
im mexican and i think this movie
was funny
jack black is a good actor
all of you need
to find a sence of humor