“Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny”
Director Liam Lynch
New Line Cinema
When a beginning scene opens with a cartoon of two men flying
through the air by the power of their own flatulence, you know
you’re in for a rough few hours. But at least they let you
know what kind of movie it is from the get-go instead of waiting to
inform you later on.
This opening scene does not misrepresent the rest of
“Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny,” consistent in terms
of crudeness and absurdity.
For the uninitiated, Tenacious D is an actual comedy rock band
consisting of actor/musicians Jack Black and Kyle Gass. The pair
stars in this playful but over-the-top film meant to humorously
portray the history of the band and its quest for legendary
status.
Both Black and Gass play wacky caricatures of themselves. Black
(JB) plays the same rock-loving goof that he plays in “School
of Rock.” Only this time, with his hyperactive rock obsession
consisting of over-enunciated lyrics and ridiculous facial and hand
gestures, he’s even more obnoxious … if that’s
possible. Gass plays KG, JB’s spacey counterpart, and neither
his musical skill nor personality add much to the band’s
dynamic.
Although Black’s humor and musicianship is original, songs
with titles like “Kickapoo” and “Master
Exploder” just get old after a while.
The movie revolves around KG and JB’s attempt to retrieve
the Pick of Destiny so that they can create a rock masterpiece
comparable to the greatest rock songs in history. After one too
many ridiculous lyrics and disappointing guitar riffs, it becomes
apparent that the duo is incapable of ever being all that
great.
You would at least think that after all Black and Gass’s
hype about Tenacious D with its “The Best Song in the
World,” some form of finale would be in order … but you
would be wrong. That is, unless you consider JB and KG smoking a
magical bong made out of one of Satan’s horns a finale.
Think “School of Rock” with less kids and more
profanity, drugs and cameo roles of mystical creatures like
Sasquatch (who JB believes is his father in a mushroom-induced
hallucination). The constant ludicrousness of the plot gets to the
point at which it’s not even surprising when a club manager
transforms into a gigantic Satan (played by David Grohl from the
Foo Fighters), who just happens to be an amazing guitar player.
Give us a break.