Seen: March 11th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 5
Jack Black can sing. Seriously. I was surprised when I first noticed it in High Fidelity. I own the first Tenacious D album (yes I still call them albums) and have forced it on other people.
But I'm ashamed to report I found Pick of Destiny flat, not sharp (last pun).
It all started out well enough, and I got in the groove quickly. Troy Gentile deserves an Oscar nod for his work in this film. It was so spot on that I laughed out loud. Meat Loaf was awesome. A Ronnie James Dio cameo!
And it all goes slowly down hill from there.
PoD doesn't fail completely, but it stumbles by trying to be too clever. The story's framework is solid, but there are too many distracting bits tacked on.
The idea of aligning the film with the mystical elements of Metal is genius, but continually bashing us over the head with references instead of letting us discover them ourselves gets annoying. I've got the feeling that this was done in post-production in order to make the film appeal to a wider audience. In short, they dumbed it down.
The film also tries to actually soft sell some kind of message half way through. This is so anti-Metal and out of character that it derails the film. I've got a hunch that there were "creative differences" somewhere. I've also got a hunch that Stiller had something to do with it. He's got a unique ability to take a great idea and taint it with his own little spin, which I generally find annoying at best. The cameos by Stiller and Robbins were by far my least favorite parts of the film.
Basically I felt that the whole film was a great idea gone awry. Had it been kept simpler, it would have been more effective. I mean, what self-respecting sorority bimbo flashes with her bra still on?
If you like JB and/or Tenacious D or are an old school metal fan, then by all means, check it out.
The Good: Tenacious D!
The Bad: Ben Stiller's obligatory cameo
The Ugly: Dave Grohl as Satan
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