Napoleon Dynamite is one of those polarizing films that people either love or hate. Yet even the film's most fervent admirers understand why so many despise it. For one thing, the film's endless array of catchphrases insured that every braying jackass in accounts receivable would have something besides Rod Farva's dialogue from Super Troopers to quote endlessly.

Nonetheless, even if Napoleon Dynamite's various quirks made you want to beat the titular mouthbreather's head in with a "delicious bass" it still elicited some kind of response which is more that could be said for director Jared Hess' uninspiring follow-up, Nacho Libre. It's a film so dull, useless, and devoid of mirth I'm surprised I saw it in a theater and not after a block of Mad TV reruns on Comedy Central.

In Nacho Libre Jack Black plays a wide-eyed jeri-curled friar named Ignacio who is secretly leading a double life as a thoroughly inept luchadore (Mexican wrestler for you laymen out there). Even though Ignacio's suplexes and body slams have brought in mucho dinero for the monastary he and his tag team partner, a feral hobo (Hector Jimenez), are tired of being paid to lose so they hatch an ill conceived plot to join the majors. Unfortunately, this only manages to piss off Ramses (Cesar Gonzalez) an arrogant luchadore who is to Mexican wrestling what Roger Clemens is to baseball.

A wrestling comedy starring Jack Black shouldn't be falling flat on its flabby, lycra covered ass but Nacho Libre does this repeatedly throughout its 90 minute running time. It's not that the film doesn't have its moments. For instance the scene where Ignacio reveals his secret identity to a mostly indifferent audience of orphans and monks is pretty funny. It's just that these clever details are buried beneath a leaden meandering pace that instantly kills any potentially funny moment. Luckily, there aren't too many of those "funny moments". Unless you find fat people wearing tights to be the height of hilarity.

It also doesn't help that Black is simply too dynamic to be playing such a sad sack loser. Occasionally he'll break out with a wildly improvised song but mostly he's just glumly biding his time and wondering how he got stuck playing this boring south of the border El Napoleon Dynamito.

Nacho Libre is a misguided wannabe cult film that's not nearly as smart as it thinks it is. Let's hope that Hess can somehow shake this sophmore slump other wise it won't be long before Napoleon Dynamite 2: The Destruction of Uncle Rico appears at a theater near you.