Newly released to DVD comes Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. This movie is ridiculous, stupid, makes no sense, is full of bad jokes, and has a small plot. I loved every minute of it.
As is classic to Jack Black, he plays over-the-top characters and you either love him or hate him. In this case I loved him. Wild antics mixed with good guitar playing make for a ride through the minds of Tenacious D. Fans of the band will catch the not so subtle references to their first album to include a friend named Lee, cock push-ups and Kyle quitting the band.
The movie opens with a young JB (Jack Black) rebelling against his fanatically religious family and being convinced to leave home by Ronnie James Dio after JB's father (Meatloaf) spanks him and explains to him that rock is the devil's work. JB sets out on a journey to Hollywood. Traveling to the correct Hollywood takes JB years and he arrives in California older. Within minutes of his arrival Black runs into Kyle Gass.
Black convinces Gass to teach him everything he knows about rock after being assaulted in a manner that borrows directly from A Clockwork Orange. Black soon learns that Gass is struggling just like him, and the two form the band that is destined by the marks on their captains' quarters. Some viewers might find it disturbing to see Black and Gass pressing their rear ends together. I, on the other hand, found it grossly amusing.
The two learn of a magical pick that was forged from the tooth of Satan and has propelled every great guitar player in rock and roll history to greatness. So now the band is off to steal the pick and pay their rent (Gass spent all the rent money buying Black a new guitar). The trip to steal the pick of destiny sees the band breaking up (tits over destiny for Gass), breaking in, and defeating the evil of all evil. There is an interesting scene with JB eating mushrooms and hallucinating that he is a Sasquatch and is protected by his daddy Sas.
Viewers should get a kick out of Dave Grohl portraying the Devil and doing pelvic thrusts referring to how he is going to treat Gass when Tenacious D loses the "rock off". All in all it is a funny attempt at a rock opera-like movie. Black is his usual out of control self and Gass, although not an actor by any stretch of the imagination, supports Black well enough.
If you are looking for an Oscar class movie with quality acting, directing, and cinematography, then don't watch this movie. If you want to see a movie that in my opinion has the potential of being a cult classic, then don't rent it — just buy it.
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