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I’m going to come right out and say it: I had some serious reservations about Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny. I hoped it would be good—but I really didn’t expect it to be. Because, you see, I used to love Jack Black. But, lately, he’s just been a little too Jack Black. I was worried that I’d hit my Jack Black Tolerance Threshold (just like I’ve hit my Jim Carrey Tolerance Threshold). So I joined the mostly-baked audience (as assessed by the unusual amount of munchies in the theater—not to mention that crazy giggling guy sitting behind me) and braced myself.
But, I’m happy to say, I had nothing to worry about—except, perhaps, the internal damage that excessive laughter may cause.
Tenacious D follows JB (Black), a boy whose deeply-religious father (Meatloaf) strongly disapproves of JB’s fervent desire to rock. Rather than live under his father’s strict rules, JB heads to California to become a rock star. There, he meets KG (Kyle Gass), a totally talented musician who agrees to take JB under his wing and teach him how to rock. Together, the two form a new band called Tenacious D (you’ll have to see for yourself where that name came from). But the going isn’t easy for the D. Before they can live their lives of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, they need to worry about paying the rent.
As JB and KG are preparing for a big open-mic competition, they learn about the legendary Pick of Destiny, which is the key to total rock-stardom. To get the Pick, the pair must overcome the obstacles in their way, follow the advice of a creepy stranger (“Tim Robbins!” all the stoners in the theater giggled), and steal the Pick from the Rock ‘n’ Roll History Museum. And if they succeed, they will be the greatest rock band in the world.
If The Holy Grail and Spinal Tap ever got together, lit up a bong or two, and sired a child, Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny would be that child. It’s filled with Holy Grail-like story-telling—complete with silly illustrations—and all the laugh-out-loud rock action of Spinal Tap. Throw in a great car chase scene and Jack Black dressed up as a baby sasquatch, and you’ve got an epic adventure-comedy rock-opera that’s destined for college stoner cult status.
Perhaps it’s just the contact buzz talking, but Black is actually really funny—in his usual crazy, obnoxious, anything-can-happen way—without going too far over the edge. In fact, I never really got sick of him. And the casting of Meatloaf as JB’s disapproving dad is brilliant—especially when it means that young JB and his dad get to do a Meatloaf-style musical number.
Of course, Tenacious D isn’t for everyone. If you’ve never liked Jack Black, don’t even bother. And if you’re not a college student who may or may not be under the influence of chemical substances, you’ll need to be in the right mood to watch it. But if you happen to be in that right mood (or you happen to be that chemically-altered college student), Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny will rock your socks off.
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