'Nacho Libre' (PG) (out of four)

Trust me.

I've seen a few movies with a wrestling theme, but not one of them stacks up to "Nacho Libre."

"The Wrestler" (1974): Dull. "Body Slam" (1987): Dumb. "No Holds Barred" (1989): Dumber. "Ready To Rumble" (2000): Dopey.

"Nacho Libre?" Dynamite.

Here, crackerjack Jack Black is in the title role as a pudgy monastery cook who always dreamed of being a luchadore -- a high-flying masked Mexican wrestler, men of honor who yearn to grab glory in the ring.

Black, however, has fewer muscles than Dick or Trevor Murdoch, with the same physique: beer-belly fat, with a big butt. So there's no steroids here, but he has plenty of heart and goes on a quest to become a man of the people, despite his shortcomings.

The wrestling itself is depicted as real, as opposed to scripted "sports entertainment." While that bothered me for a bit (I'm always looking to learn insider stuff), it was no big deal as the movie played out. Wrestling was only a backdrop here, and it ultimately didn't matter if it was portrayed as real or not. This was really a story of why it's important for a man to do things for the right reasons.

Don't get me wrong, though, the wrestling scenes were solid, with nifty choreography. Black and his tag team partner, Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez), were convincing enough as they were pounded into the canvas match after match in rustic Mexican rings. It's the type of action you'd actually like to see on TV once in a while instead of the slow-moving fare WWE tends to offer these days.

I know it's just a story, and everything had to zing along, but isn't it saying something when scripted movie wrestling that is portrayed as real is infinitely better than scripted TV wrestling, which everyone knows is fake? By the way, I'll personally send $1 to anyone who actually understood that previous sentence. (Not really. I'm broke.)

My son, Professor Jr., and his sister, Professor Juniorette, also attended the screening. They giggled like idiots throughout the whole thing, along with me.

You know a wrestling-themed movie is good when a 14-year-old girl laughs until she snorts. Same with the 9-year-old boy. But I have the feeling he was over-laughing in spots so I'd buy him some "Nacho Libre" merchandise when we got out of the theatre. It didn't work, but at least he got a mention here. Not that it pays all that well.

Bottom line: Go stick out your gut and pay full price for this movie. Once again, Jack Black delivered.

Oh yeah, and watch out for flying ears of corn.

Trust me.