Not recommended under 8, PG to 13 (Viol. Theme)
This topic contains:
Children under 8 | Not recommended due to frequent violence and theme. |
Children aged 8-13 | Parental guidance recommended. |
Children over the age of 13 | Most children over the age of thirteen could see this film with or without parental guidance. |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Nacho Libre |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild comedic violence |
Length: | 92 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Brother Ignacio (Jack Black) a.k.a. Nacho grows up in an impoverished orphanage in Mexico where he dreams of becoming a Lucha Libre (fighter) complete with tights, cape and mask. He spends hours trying to make his dream a reality but in the end winds up cooking mush from a stock of rotten vegetables because the orphanage can’t afford anything better. Ridiculed and berated by the other priests because of he is different and inefficient Ignacio decides to take matters into his own hands to gain a little respect.
He decides to participate in La Lucha Libre, a free fighting match to raise money for food for the orphans and in the process he hopes to win the affection of the beautiful nun Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera). In order to make it to the top Ignacio enlists the help of Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez) a homeless thief with a mean left hook. Together they push themselves to the limit, trying everything they can think of to improve their chances in the ring, but without much success. In fact they come off as being so ridiculous that they are actually paid to lose. At first the money is great, but soon Ignacio’s self-respect begins to suffer and he determines to show the world that he is as capable as any professional Lucha Libre. In the process of fighting to win Ignacio loses sight of what he is fighting for and comes very close to losing everything he holds dear.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Professional wrestling
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is some violence in this movie including:
Parents are reminded that over-exposure to comedic violence can lead young children to believe that violence doesn’t hurt.
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
Another scene that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight is when Ignacio and Esqueleto find a man with a knife slashing their tyres. The man threatens Ignacio and there are a tense few minutes before Esqueleto stabs the knife holder’s accomplice with his skewered corncob, lodging it in the man’s eye socket. While the scene was over fairly quickly, it is quite grisly and some children could be disturbed by a father figure being threatened in that way.
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
The above mentioned scenes could also scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, particularly at the lower end of the age bracket. Some children in this age group may be confused by a nun being treated as a sexual object.
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
It is unlikely that this film would scare or disturb children over the age of thirteen.
None
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
Nacho Libre is a comedy combining a good deal of bathroom humour with an extremely predictable storyline. The film will most likely appeal to adolescent boys and Jack Black fans. The main messages from this movie are that everybody has a purpose and a destiny and that although sometimes something may seem impossible, with a little determination and a little faith even the under dog can come out on top. Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include persistence, faith and determination.
Parents could also discuss with their children the real-life consequences, of wrestling and fighting and of acting selfishly and putting our own wants before other people’s needs. They could also discuss other ways that Ignacio’s goals could have been achieved without the use of violence.
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
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