Movie Review: Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that despite star Jack Black's huge
popularity with kids, this raucous, profane comedy is for very
mature teens and adults only (as those familiar with Black's
cult band, Tenacious D, will already know). It absolutely earns
its R rating for pervasive language, sexual content, and drug
use. There are pot, bongs, and mushrooms; the characters show a
particular fondness for the word "c--k"; crude humor centers on
flatulence and other bodily functions; and the ample sexual
content includes a graphic depiction of the skill that doing
"c--k push-ups" develops.
Families can talk about this side of Jack Black, which many kids (and adults) may not have known existed. Which "version" of the star do you think is more like his actual personality -- the hyper-yet-good-hearted guy he plays in movies like School of Rock and Nacho Libre, or the foul-mouthed, genitals-obsessed "hero" of this film? Do you think the studio made it clear how mature the content of this movie was? Why would they try to hide that fact? Families can also discuss all of the bad behavior on display in the movie (drugs, drinking, breaking and entering, stealing, etc.). Why is it funny to see this stuff in a movie when it's dangerous in real life?
Common Sense Media Review
How about some awesome rock music and face-melting guitar
solos?! If you posed that query to
Jack
Black, there's no question about what his answer would be
-- which is pretty much why he started cult band/comedy act
Tenacious D in the first place. (He and partner-in-crime Kyle
Gass made their mark with a late-'90s HBO series, then put out
a successful CD and went on tour, garnering plenty of devoted
fans along the way.)
In this gross, raucous comedy, Black plays JB, a young hayseed from the Midwest who shocks his conservative parents with his rock music (in a casting coup, Meat Loaf plays JB's dad). Banished to his room, JB (played as a kid by Troy Gentile, who does a perfect Black impersonation) gets a sign that he's supposed to travel to California to seek his destiny as a rock god. So he goes to sunny Venice Beach, where he meets local slacker and guitar virtuoso KG (Gass).
The two become friends, get stoned together, and decide they need to become "the world's greatest rock band." No easy feat, especially when the rent's due. So they plot to steal what might be the answer to their prayers -- a magical guitar pick (the titular "pick of destiny") that's on display in a rock museum 300 miles away. Road trip!
On their journey, the friends encounter magical worlds, strange creatures, and even the devil himself (played in a neat bit of casting by Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters). Will they become the band that single-handedly changes the course of rock 'n' roll history? We're not saying, but one thing's for sure. These two righteous dudes have a lot of fun trying (which, in this case, means doing a lot of drugs, saying the word "c--k" pretty much non-stop, and cheerfully demonstrating the benefit that doing lots of "c--k push-ups" can have).
TENACIOUS D: THE PICK OF DESTINY is like School of Rock on steroids. It's no-holds-barred raunchy and crude. Black and Gass may be pretty good musicians (in fact, the musical sequences are the best part of the movie), but their brand of humor demands that you leave any sense of tact or dignity at the theater door.
Die-hard fans will be happy to know the movie features new songs, along with some mind-bending cameos by the likes of Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller, and Colin Hanks. Really, it's too bad Black and Gass didn't ditch the buddy-movie-road-trip theme and just go with a straight rock opera from start to finish -- if they had, this movie would have rocked even more.
If you're not already a fan of "The D," you might want to wait and rent the DVD -- and watch it after the kids go to bed. Fans might also like School of Rock (a much safer pick for the younger set) and This Is Spinal Tap.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
