Eagerly awaited, much discussed and long delayed for a variety of reasons (depending on whom you believe), Liam Lynch’s Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny
enjoyed a test screening last night in Pasadena, and I had an
acquaintance in attendance. Due to release in mid-November from New
Line, the film had the accumulating stench of a good idea whose time
had perhaps passed due to co-star Jack Black’s rapidly rising star.
There were rumors of re-shoots and heaps of scrapped musical sequences.
While those may or may not be true, at least one person thought it
delivered. “It restores my faith in Jack Black again after Nacho Libre,”
my source said. “It’s really funny, even though you can tell they’re
going to have to tighten it up a little.” Most heartening for studio
execs and number-crunchers, he said, “It works too as a sort of
self-contained origin story for those who haven’t ever heard of the
band.” Yes, that’s right, the film centers on naïve Midwesterner Black
and his pal Kyle Gass, who team up in Venice Beach to quite
self-consciously form the greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world. The
title refers to a magical guitar pick that they set out to purloin to
aid them in their quest.