Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

This isn’t Shakespeare or a Merchant-Ivory production by any stretch of the imagination. In fact when “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” starts, the first thing you’ll see is animated versions of stars Jack Black and Kyle Gass farting onscreen. So much for intelligent conversation after watching this flick. But don’t let that turn you off, “POD” is an irreverent comedy that combines autobiography, fable, and musical into one insane package.

The film begins with a young JB yearning to rock out of his uptight Christian home in Missouri. As Meatloaf (of I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) fame) does a cameo as Black’s dad, a poster of former Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio comes to life and orders JB to seek his fortune in Hollywood, the viewer knows there won’t be anything serious coming out of this. In LA, Black meets musician Gass, a genius at the guitar who still gets rent money from his parents despite being almost 40-years old. When the two decide to form “the greatest band ever”, the true adventure begins!

Black and Gass aren’t just actors onscreen, they’re actually a real rock band. Gass is a real-life Julliard-trained guitar genius and Black has always declared his love of the music in his films. Tenacious D, the metal band, released a self-titled album in 2001 complete with Lord of the Rings-type video in “Wonderboy” and a memorable animated video for “Fuck Her Gently”. Lucky for us, this movie has its own rockin’ soundtrack as well. Thus, the heart of the film is in the music, as well as the friendship between the two leads.

Black is at his nimble, gut-busting best here. Not limited by being surrounded by kids as in “School of Rock” and “Nacho Libre” or by a CGI-gorilla ala “King Kong”, he really cuts loose on the cussing and the physical action. Gass serves as a steady foil for Black, not just a mere sidekick. His portrayal of a guitar god/rocker wannabe whom Black seeks instruction from proves he is an equal to Black’s twisted humor.

Amid a swirl of good old fashioned sex, drugs, and rock and roll is a road trip that has the band seeking the mythical “pick of destiny” that all rock legends have used to achieve immortality. Along the way, cameos abound, particularly from old friends of the duo. Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, Amy Poehler, and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters all help in creating the world where “The D” is king. Even as the pair encounters characters like a sasquatch (!) and Satan himself (!!!), the sheer silliness of the premise is enough to leave your belly aching with laughter.

Throughout “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny”, the audience is bombarded by a rock soundtrack that would make any rocker proud. With humorous animated segues, and a premise nobody will mistake for high-brow humor, the film simply goes out to prove that in this day and age, rock and roll is alive and well indeed. Rock on!