"The Nativity Story" -- In Season and On Message

"The Nativity Story" -- In Season and On Message


Several people have asked my take on the new film, "The Nativity Story." Being ignorant, I have chosen to remain silent. Fortunately for us all, Al Mohler is neither ignorant nor silent. Read his excellent review on what appears to be a pleasant holiday surprise.

Yo Quiero Mas Nachos!

Spoiler Warning: The following post may give away the ending to Nacho Libre.

I have a confession to make -- I think Jack Black is one of the funniest human beings in the contemporary movie industry. He looks funny, he acts funny, he says funny things. His brand of physical humor is reminiscent of the late John Belushi and Chris Farley, as well as some of the older work of Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Robin Williams and Steve Martin. And typically I only like funny movies. Life is full of drama -- comedic films offer a brief respite from the weight of cares and concerns that this world piles on us. Real life produces enough tears, enough anxiety, and enough opportunity for heavy thought. What it often fails to provide are enough opportunities to laugh. So I seek out films that will provide that.

Having said that, it should come as no surprise that I have thoroughly enjoyed most of Jack Black's films. However, I stop short of endorsing most of them for others to watch, because often they contain language and behavior that responsible Christians should rightly recognize as inappropriate. I rented Nacho Libre over the weekend to watch by myself for a little bit of comic relief. I was pleasantly surprised to find in it a serious message (woven through the comedic scenes), and virtually no offensive content. So it was with great pleasure that I watched it a second time with my family.

Ignatio was raised in a monastery for orphans. He is disrespected by the monks of the order, but rather than making him despise religion, instead we find that he retains his love for God and his desire to serve him, while growing weary of the manmade rituals and regulations of monastic life. In Ignatio, we find a humble and pious man who struggles with a desire for honor and respect. So, he begins a secret career as a luchador, a professional wrestler who goes by the name of Nacho.

Frustrated by his inability to succeed as a luchador, Ignatio comes to a crisis of belief. He has fallen in love with Sister Encarnacion, a teacher at the monastery. He has failed to win a single bout. He has a falling out with his tag-team partner, Esqueleto, who claims that they never win because Ignatio is too fat. Esqueleto does not understand Ignatio's convictions. "I don't believe in God, I only believe in science," he says. Catholic doctrine of salvation aside, Ignatio expresses concern for Esqueleto's soul. The money from wrestling has afforded Ignatio the opportunity to buy expensive clothes and fancy shoes, but it never takes away from his love for God, his desire to serve God, or his compassion for the orphans. When the desire for wrestling success causes him to lapse on a responsibility he has at the monastery, Sister Encarnacion tells him that God will only honor that which is done for Him. With renewed vigor, Ignatio recommits himself to pursuing God first and foremost in his endeavors, and finds that God honors him and brings him the success and the love that has escaped his grasp.

As the film ended, I thought of a poem that I have heard for many years, but recently sticks in my mind because it runs like a seam through John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life. "Only one life, It will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." Ignatio learned the truth of this. I pray that I will as well. And I pray that learning it will not require me to don "stretchy pants."