Strictly for fans only. Tenacious D has little to convert the non-essentials to Jack Black's style of comedy.

Rating: 6/10 (9 December 2006)

If you imagined a band half way between the vocal tirades of Meat Loaf and the relentless guitar playing of System Of a Down, you have a vague idea of what listening to Tenacious D is like. The best/worst rock band of all time finally get realised on the big screen in Liam Lynch's Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny. Here, we get a relatively dull back-story of how Tenacious D formed, and then a slightly more amusing tale of their voyage to find "the pick of destiny".
Tenacious D comes alive with its music. Whether it is JB's fantasy about rocking an open mike lounge or the stand off between the D and the Devil, these are the liveliest moments in this disappointing spectacle. There are also a couple of amusing cameo appearances, the funniest comes from exec-producer Ben Stiller, who explains the back-story of the infamous pick with laugh-drenching detail. And Tim Robbins turns up as a knife-wielding madman hell-bent on snatching the pick from our two lame-brained heroes. But sadly Â– this movie rarely stretches beyond its own fan base. The film's director, Liam Lynch, who himself was responsible for the novelty record "United States Of Whatever" does not seem to instill his film with the kind of quirky flair that made Nacho Libre (2006) offer a Jack Black that played it low-key. Nor, for that matter, does it possess the wit or charm of School Of Rock (2003), a film where we knew that Black was meant to be rubbish and slothful.
Jack Black has never been one for subtle humour, but his uber-energetic schtick still needs the right direction in a film. In High Fidelity (1999) he was kept on a leash by playing opposite John Cusack, whose character brought a healthy balance to the script. Here he is let loose along with co-star Kyle Gass who, sadly, possesses none of the comic talents of his portly sidekick. The film relies far too much on the wide-eyed externalisms of JB to liven up the dull screenplay. But it is not Black's fault that this movie is ultimately under whelming. His previous film, Nacho Libre had a weird quirkiness to it. Not only that, but Black's character was meant to be ridiculed, whereas here it is never truly sure if Tenacious D are meant to be cool or rubbish. The world around our two protagonists is just as stupid as they are. Still, this should not disappoint the hardcore D faithful. It offers a satisfying experience, even if it doesn't live up to the Wayne's World's of this world.