Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (PG)

Dir: Liam Lynch, 2006, USA, 95 min
Cast: JACK BLACK, KYLE GASS, JR Reed, Meat Loaf

Following successful albums, live tours and a short-lived HBO series, Tenacious D arrive on the big screen with The Pick of Destiny, a fictionalised account the formation of the band and the beginning of their ascent to greatness. The film opens in the Midwest town of Kickapoo, where a young JB (Troy Gentile) scandalises his conservative family with his love of heavy metal. The irony, of course, is that the patrician father is played by sweaty rock legend Meat Loaf and this star cameo is the first of many dotted throughout the film. Knowing that his destiny lies elsewhere, JB hits the road and eventually turns up in LA as an adult (Black), where he meets partner in rock KG (Gass). Their relationship is initially one of student and mentor, with Gass doling out philosophical nuggets like a rock and roll sensei (“Your training begins tomorrow, at the crack of noon.”). It’s only when Gass reveals that he’s bald, broke and financially dependent on his mother that the duo realise that they are truly kindred spirits and come together to find the mystical Pick of Destiny, a plectrum carved from Satan’s tooth that will lead them to fame and fortune.

While KG is interested in the fringe benefits of being in a band (“Sex, drugs and rock and roll – in that order”), Black acts as a heavy metal fundamentalist, unswerving in his belief that the true path to salvation lies in the music and only the music. While both School of Rock (2003) and High Fidelity (2000) have featured Black in this light, here he’s allowed to crank the volume all the way to eleven and the finest moments in the film are undoubtedly when Tenacious D are performing their unique blend of powerchords and ribald lyrics.

Though this is testament to Black and Gass’s songwriting and stage talents, it also highlights the underlying weakness of the script. In trying to ape the classic rock movies of the past, The Pick of Destiny fails to throw anything truly original into the mix. Some of these tributes work well, such as the tarot card sequences that affectionately lampoon rock’s obsession with paganism; others just come off as tiresome. The magic-mushroom sequence in particular is a disappointment, falling back on day-glo sets and overused wig-out clichés. A far more effective hallucination takes place at the band’s first gig, where we see JB transforming himself in his mind’s eye from sweaty club singer to eyeliner wearing rock god.

In all, The Pick of Destiny generally succeeds as a comedy, with several laugh-out-loud moments and a goofy sense of amiability that will undoubtedly win the band new friends. One gets the impression, however, that simply being above average isn’t enough for Tenacious D. In the quest to make The Greatest Rock Movie In The World….Ever! The Pick of Destiny falls just short of the mark.

More film reviews by Tom Alexander:
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I SAW BEN BARKA GET KILLED

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Tom Alexander