Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
   BCast :
Jack Black, Kyle Gass, J.R. Reed, Tim Robbins, Meatloaf, Troy Gentile

Director:
Liam Lynch

Rating:
R for language, drug use and mild violence

Running time:
98 minutes Opened Wednesday
   In the tradition of the Cheech and Chong stoner flicks and Ken Russell's cinematic interpretation of The Who's rock opera Tommy, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is a good-natured and sometimes startlingly funny film targeted at the self-medicating crowd.
   It probably needs mood-altering substances -- or at least experience with mood-altering substances -- to fully appreciate. And for some, even that probably won't be enough.
   But c'mon, this isn't the sort of movie anyone needed to be warned away from -- there's not much chance that anyone will walk up to the multiplex box office undecided and take a flier on this culty in-joke, is there? (You wouldn't think so, but then my mother once bought a ticket for The Groove Tube.)
   Chances are if you know what Tenacious D is -- the selfproclaimed "greatest rock 'n ' roll band in the world," a heavy metal duo made up of irrepressible Jack Black and formidably talented Kyle Gass, two heavyset men who play acoustic guitars -- then you've been waiting for your chance to pick up tickets for this show. For the rest of you, Tenacious D is a pretty funny joke band that's been around about a dozen years, enjoyed a short-lived HBO series and produced one decent-selling record. (The soundtrack for this film is likely to do even better on the charts.)
   What makes the D good -- instead of just a canny conceit -- is that Gass (usually referred to as "K.G." or "Kage" or some other permutation of his initials) is an excellent musician who looks like your clueless Uncle Pete turned out for beer-on-the-bases coed softball, while Black ("J.B., " "Jables" ) sings his parody lyrics with a conviction that belies genuine affection for the genre he's subverting. He knows how silly the headbanger obsession with things satanic and Wakemanesque is, but he still digs Norwegian black metal.
   As for their movie, it starts out inspired -- the first six minutes of the film are widely available on the Internet and are dazzling, hinting as they do at a keenly self-aware wall-to-wall metal musical (the casting of Meatloaf as the young J.B.'s father is particularly good. It ends up sort of lame, obvious, and kind of tired, although it's partially redeemed by the closing number, which proclaims the film "betta thanna Citizen Kane," which, in a limited purpose sort of way, I suppose it is, since Kane doesn't really have any slack time in which one might catch a quick nap or roll up another one.
   But I kid because I have a soft spot for these kind of smart dumb movies that feel like they were made against someone's better judgment. I enjoy the D and am happy to have had their origin myth explained to me. If I were Tim Robbins -- who sort of discovered Jack Black years ago and gave him one of his best roles, that of the dittohead camp follower in Bob Roberts -- then I'd have gone along with the gag and dressed up like Renny Harlin as well.
   While not everyone in the target demographic will get the Clockwork Orange reference, you don't get to see many romantic comedies about two heavyset heterosexual guys who are so obviously deeply in love with each other. It's touching, guys, it really is, and I hope the D always abides.
   But Mom, I think it's safe for you to skip this one. Trust me.

This story was published Friday, November 24, 2006