Earlier this winter I embarked on a project of finishing all of the excessively thorough special features on my David Fincher movies, The Social Network (2010), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Gone Girl (2014), etc.. Hearing artists of such high caliber discuss their work is awesome, but, in an overstuffed package, it can be overwhelming and even disheartening. What’s the point of making stuff when people that great exist? One of the best cures I have found to this silly insecure thought is exploring the overstuffed Blu-rays of good films made by good, but not master, filmmakers, like Warrior (2011) by Gavin O’Connor or Terminal Invasion (2002) by Sean S. Cunningham. There’s something special about listening to what amounts to normal people talking about getting their film made and solving the problems they encountered along the way. Few artists will talk more practically and in-depth or with more love than those who know they won’t get too many more soapboxes to stand on. Films that were released during the peak of the DVD era are the best place to find this experience and the new Shout! Studios release of the 2006 studio musical comedy Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is a perfect example of that.
“You know our movie’s better than-a Citizen Kane”
Starring Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda, School of Rock) and Kyle Gass (Elf, The Cable Guy), Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is a cult-classic comedic musical epic more in the style of Blues Brothers (1980) than This is Spinal Tap (1984), though it’s not as good as either of those. The biggest draw for the movie is Jack Black, and, of course, the songs from the Tenacious D discography which, pun intended, rock. Tenacious D is a comedy rock band founded by Black and Gass in the late ‘90s that became known for its HBO show and internet shorts before culminating in several feature-length movies, though Pick of Destiny is by far the most seen and lauded. Their musical style is built on Gass’s incredible guitar playing and Black’s unreal vocal range and once-in-a-generation comedic charisma. Today, Black presents as a more chilled-out hippie who loves video games, but, at the start of his career, his comedic presence was defined by a self-obsessed, in-on-the-joke bravado. Everything he did was stated as “the best ever” or “greatest,” even as his winking head tilts and crinkled lips told you he knew they weren’t. Endearing and hilarious, this attitude is foundational to the Tenacious D discography with songs like Tribute, Kickapoo, and Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown) steeping the band’s false history in sexual and religious irreverence of mythic scope.
The film re-tells several moments from the HBO show with a higher budget, beginning with a young “JB” rebelling against his hyper-religious, anti-rock-and-roll family in suburban Kickapoo, Missouri. After running away to Hollywood at the behest of Black Sabbath’s Dio, Black encounters Gass busking on the streets. After initially parting ways, Black is beaten by American fans of the Droogs from A Clockwork Orange (1971), and is found by Gass. Moving in together, they eventually need to find a way to make money off their music to pay the rent, which leads to them hearing tell of a magical guitar pick made from Satan’s (Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters) chipped tooth which will allow anyone to become a rock god. Encountering guest stars like an unhinged Tim Robbins (The Hudsucker Proxy, The Shawshank Redemption) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, SNL), the duo set out to steal the pick from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The film remains a successful comedy that surprisingly hasn’t dated itself too badly in its humor, beyond some word usage like “cock” over today’s more common “dick” and so on. The same cannot be said for the commentaries and extras, which contain some misogynistic casting couch jokes and other misogynistic moments that don’t mesh with the rest of Tenacious D’s shock humor as seamlessly as they might have at the moment.
Overall, the film and disc are a showcase for Jack Black’s one-of-a-kind stardom and raw talent. His vocal range, his humor, and his ability to sell any moment as believable remain the draw for the film. 3 stars.
The box is a fine Shout! Select release with an interior image and the classic DVD box art on the front. The transfer is an excellent 2K scan of the kind of cheap film stock that still looks miles better than cheap digital does today, with good grain and soft edges just where you want them. The sound mix is exceptional, and I had a great time blasting the film on my 2.5 soundbar + subwoofer setup, shaking the house and drawing complaints from my family as Jack Black blew a guy’s brain out of his skull with the power of his voice.
The release is overstuffed with the extras from the DVD release with two commentaries, almost an hour of deleted scenes and alternate takes, multiple making-of featurettes, internet shorts, a music video, and the trailers. In the director’s commentary, Liam Lynch (The Sifl and Olly Show, Tenacious D: Butt Baby) comes off as a very normal dude at first before slowly revealing himself to be exactly the kind of strange man to make this film, discussing on-set improv, being surprised to be asked to approve bikini sizes on models in the movie, and eventually cloning his cat after it’s death. In the actor’s commentary with Jack Black and Kyle Gass, they begin by apologizing to Black’s real-life, actually supportive family, before spending quite a bit of time on Hollywood gossip, Amy Adams’s (Arrival, Enchanted) cameo, and Black doing an all-time Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Jerry Maguire) impression. The making-of docs range from the studio standard to the home video camcorder variety, but the standout extra on the whole disc is the making-of featurette on the orchestral score and choir recordings. Throughout all the behind-the-scenes moments, Black moves in and out of his comedic persona, but in this one he’s in his finest form, facetiously telling the conductor to take a hike before taking over the orchestral recording, bringing the entire room of seasoned professionals to hysterics in real-time, which is quickly followed up by letting us watch a choir also try not to break as it sings the word “cock” a few dozen times with epic seriousness.
The deleted scenes are a strange beast, collected in one long video instead of a selection menu. It opens with director Liam Lynch beaming into a greenscreen environment to lament having to cut so much great improv from the film. About halfway through the 54-minute experience, he will return via greenscreen to explain, at length, a cut joke and plotline involving the car chase. The cut scenes and alternate takes are generally funny, letting us see more of Tim Robbins’s unhinged and undersung performance, and including cut cameos like a hilarious David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin) and Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother). The internet shorts round out the disc with segments of Hell O’Clock News, Consulting With the Devil, and fake PSA’s all made to promote the film, the final of which includes Amy Poehler saying “super orgasmic” and a flirtatious Tim Robbins flipping his hair and declaring that Tenacious D makes him feel “toxic.” A great document of the early internet preserved on physical media.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny has always been a cult object from a cult band. The irreverent, obnoxious, and sexual humor of Black and Gass is simply not for everyone, but they do rock, and so does this release. While unlikely to be reclaimed by younger generations, at least Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny can finally look as good as it did when originally projected, and the long-suffering fans can enjoy the release.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Stars Jack Black and Kyle Gass
- Audio Commentary with Director Liam Lynch
- Deleted/Extended Scenes
- Archival Featurettes
- Home Movies
- “Hell O’Clock News” Internet Shorts
- Music Video
- Theatrical Trailer
Available on Blu-ray February 13th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Shout! Studios Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Recommendation
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