Tenacious D in Pick of Destiny (2006)

"...delivers some seriously dumb laughs.  John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
"...spot-on digs at the macho bombast and Dungeons & Dragons silliness that drives heavy-metal mania.  Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide
"...more than just a low-brow comedy...a comedic saga, a film more rock show than movie.  Mark Bell, Film Threat

Editor's Note Jack Black and Kyle Gass's Tenacious D began life on an amusing yet little-seen HBO series about the band, which featured an array of comedy songs and glimpses into the personal lives of this hard-working outfit. But Black and Gass always had ambitions to take the Tenacious D concept further, so after a hefty bout of touring and recording comes the natural next step in their plans for world domination--a full-length feature film. The movie is directed by longtime collaborator Liam Lynch, and follows the duo as their megalomaniacal plans for the band burst into life. The film begins with a step back in time, where we find Black traveling to California with a head full of rock & roll dreams, and Gass strumming away on a lonely sidewalk. Once Black and Gass meet, they recognize that their Black Sabbath-sized dreams will only be realized if they can get hold of a magical guitar pick belonging to a local rock & roll-themed museum. But the portly rockers find a sizable hole burnt into their plans when their attempts at stealing the pick are thwarted by its original owner--Beelzebub himself. Existing fans who have seen the original HBO show will doubtless recognize the bulk of this story, as most of the ideas in THE PICK OF DESTINY have been rehashed from older Tenacious D material. But it's always a pleasure to see Jack Black embrace his inner rock god, and he frequently lets loose on the ridiculously silly songs that make up the Tenacious D oeuvre as the movie progresses. THIS IS SPINAL TAP still has the rock-satire genre tightly sewn up, but Black and Gass make a fun and entertaining addition to the canon with this first big-screen outing for Tenacious D.

	Amy Poehler
	Ben Stiller
	David Grohl
	Fred Armisen
	Jack Black
	Kyle Gass
	Paul F. Tompkins
	Tim Robbins
	Andrew Gross - Original Music By
	Ben Stiller - Executive Producer
	David Rennie - Editor
	Jack Black, et. al. - Writer
	John King - Original Music By
	Liam Lynch - Director
	Maria L. Baker - Art Director
	Robert Brinkmann - Cinematographer
	Stuart Cornfeld - Producer

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[L]ewd, crude and often very funny....[The film] gathers the various strands of the D's genesis and gets down to the nitty gritty of their coming together." 01/01/2007 p.44

Entertainment Weekly
"[B]lack] drinks deep from the well of classic rock & roll style, and you can hear all the vocal gods he's channeling....He's funny not in spit of his sincerity but because of it." 12/01/2006 p.63

Uncut
3 stars out of 5 -- "Black is back with rocking riffage....The result feels like Cheech and Chong meets Beavis & Butthead..." 01/01/2007 p.142

DVD Talk 10 of 10
Fans of The D will not be disappointed by this borderline psychotic romp through the sunflower fields of rock supremacy. Director Liam Lynch has been on The D's creative team for years now and doesn't hesitate in the least putting Black and Gass through a kaleidoscopic journey of rock, animation, car chases, tarot card fantasylands, giggles, and...well, more rock. "Pick of Destiny" is an instant midnight movie staple, and earns it not through irony or hipster pandering, but through legitimately exhilarating filmmaking that brings out the best not only The D's comic timing, but in their musicianship, hurling on the unsuspecting public another album's worth of tracks worthy of The D canon..."The Pick of Destiny" is a Gravitron ride of nard-crunching brilliance and explosivo satisfaction, and it's been a long time coming for Tenacious D. - Brian Orndorf

ReelViews 6 of 10
Few movies are easier to review or define a recommendation. If you're a die-hard fan of either Jack Black or the band he formed with Kyle Gass, you'll likely love every moment of Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. For anyone else, the better choice would be to buy the soundtrack (if you like the music) and skip the movie. This is one of those musicals that provides moderate entertainment when the actors are singing or playing guitar, but devolves into a spiral of tediousness during the increasingly lengthy gaps between numbers. The comedy is juvenile and often unfunny. There are some laugh-aloud moments, but not nearly enough. In the end, you have to possess a sweet spot for Black and his antics to find Tenacious D more than barely watchable. - James Berardinelli