Jared Hess knows his way around an underdog story. He's the guy behind Napoleon Dynamite, an acclaimed deadpan comedy about the world's geekiest high schooler. For his second cinematic outing, Hess has teamed up with comedy wild child Jack Black for Nacho Libre, a possibly even goofier flick that, like Napoleon, has a big heart to match its incredibly random sense of humor.

Black plays Ignacio, a monk who gets by cooking for the children at a rundown Mexican orphanage. The food stinks, his fellow monks won't give him any money for fresh ingredients, and, in general, he doesn't get much respect from anyone except the kids (he seems to be in training to become Father Rodney Dangerfield). But the arrival of the beautiful Sister Encarnación (Ana de la Reguera) signals a time of change for Ignacio.

Inspired by seeing the praise lavished on a popular luchador (a Mexican wrestling star, for the uninitiated), Ignacio decides to fulfill his lifelong dream of donning a mask, slapping on a pair of stretchy pants, and stepping in the ring as a portly fighter nicknamed Nacho. With the help of his rail-thin tag-team partner Esquelito (Hector Jimenez), Nacho signs up for whatever bouts he can, using his winnings to buy better food for the children. However, with his slow rize up the luchador circuit, Ignacio finds himself struggling not to let the glory and fame go to his head. He tries to remain focused on fighting in the name of the kids while hiding his double-life from the orphanage elders.

Nacho Libre is a big, runaway train of pure silliness, and it's up to the audience to decide whether to jump on and enjoy the ride or step aside and shake a disapproving head as it rolls on by. Count me in as one of the passengers. I quite enjoyed this offbeat comedy journey. Nacho Libre comes with a stonefaced -- very deadpan -- sense of humor, the kind requiring a somewhat more astute viewer to realize when a joke has been told. Hence, the audience will be divided between those laughing uproariously and those confused at what these goobers think is so funny. As a result, not all of the material works; Hess goes for a hit-and-miss approach: a lot of what he throws onscreen just kind of sits there wasting time (the maniacal genius of Peter Stormare gets wasted in a thin cameo appearance), adding up to a bit of dead air throughout the flick.

On the other hand, what does work in Nacho Libre works very well and to hilarious effect. This is partly due to the endearingly weird script (penned by Jared Hess, his wife Jerusha, and School of Rock scribe Mike White). But much credit also goes to Jack Black for incorporating his own goofball charm into the character of Ignacio. Black comes across with a mixture of physical humor (especially a montage in which Ignacio and Esquelito train for their first match) and a Napoleon-ish deadpan style, resulting in a lovable scoundrel you can't help cheering for as he navigates the lucha libre circuit for the sake of the kids -- and maybe some awesome shoes while he's at it. Add in the stunning Ana de la Reguera as the object of Ignacio's affection (I know, the idea of a monk falling for a nun might be a little too weird for a family film, but Hess handles it well) and Jiminez as Ignacio's reluctant partner, and you have a solid support team as well.

The response to Nacho Libre will probably be similar to the way Napoleon Dynamite was received. Viewers will either think it's a silly, simple, and goodhearted romp or call it one of the dumbest movies on the face of the earth. As for me, I had a ball, and I'm happy to report that going for more kid-oriented fare hasn't taken the energy out of Jack Black's act.

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated "PG" for some rough action and crude humor including dialogue.)