Let's get one thing straight from the start: This is a movie about heavy metal just as much as it is about the friendship between two fat dudes. Sure, this is a buddy picture featuring the ever-hilarious Jack Black and his partner in crime Kyle Gass, and it has its expected crop of comedic cameos from the likes of Ben Stiller and Tim Robbins, but more importantly this is a film about hard, bang-your-head, smash-your-eardrums rock.
Tenacious D as a band is an uproarious tribute to all things metal: the long hair, the ludicrous guitars, the borderline-campy costumes, the lightning-speed guitar work and more. It was only a matter of time before something so addictively funny smashed its way onto the big screen.
Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny follows Black in his quest to realize his dream of playing in a hard rock band. The fictitious origin of Tenacious D follows, as Black moves to California and meets Gass. After a series of funny attempts by Gass to exploit Black, the duo set out to become the best rock band in the world, with the aid of a mythical guitar pick made from Satan's tooth. Adventure abounds and the two set off to claim the pick as their own, encountering all kinds of crazy characters, including a magical Sasquatch, a paranoid guitar salesmen and a brutally awesome Satan played by Dave Grohl. There's no denying that this film has some stand-out comedic moments. The only problem is the expectation the band built up for itself in finally making a feature-length film. While the movie is definitely funny, it does suffer from some considerable drawbacks.
First off, it's a stoner film. They don't try to kid themselves about this; there's a marijuana reference in the first 30 seconds of the movie, and from then on there's another weed reference about every 15 minutes. Not to condone pot-smoking in any way, but aiming for the weed-smoking demographic definitely hinders the film's comedic potential to all non-smokers. Pick of Destiny unfortunately heavily relies on pot jokes to make a good bulk of the comedy, which will definitely shut some viewers off. For those who do partake in a little cannabis practice, then rejoice, for Black and Gass are definitely up there in the pantheon of stoner greats.
The other problem with this movie is Black's failure in achieving the same charm as a lead character that he does in other films where he plays a side character. Nobody questions Black's side-splitting comic relief in movies like High Fidelity and Orange County, where Black proves his power as a loveable and scene-stealing goofball. Yet Black's track record as a lead in comedies is not as strong as his smaller roles. Most people aren't thinking of Shallow Hal when they think of Black's work, and Nacho Libre definitely did not live up to expectations, shooting for a Napoleon Dynamite-like cult following.
The sad reality is that Black, while very entertaining, has really built the better parts of his career on side character roles, and it's through these smaller parts that he has really been able to achieve praise and adoration from young people across the nation. Black obviously takes up more screen time as a lead, and the less time he spends as comedic relief and more as the straight man, the less he reaches the high expectations placed on him as one of the shining stars of today's current crop of comedic actors. He doesn't have that same serious quality that actors like Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn can pull off, and so everything Black says you expect to be funny; when it isn't, it just disappoints.
All downers aside, the film really does a great job keeping the energy flowing. Sure it's a picture overly-reliant on one-liners, but that's what makes it such a pleasing escape. Some of the characters really succeed in winning the attention of the audience: Grohl as Satan simply kills, and Jason Reed as Lee the Pizza Guy plays a swell side character. The Monty Python-like animation bits amuse and the scene where Black trips out on mushrooms is absolutely gut-busting. The movie does please in many ways, and for those looking to spend some quality time with friends, especially those who aren't in the "standard state of mind," should consider this delightful flick.
