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By Andy Tarnoff Publisher E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Andy Tarnoff

Published Nov. 22, 2006 at 5:16 a.m.

While Jack Black spent the last five years making crappy movies, the wave of momentum built up from the 2001 release of the debut album from Tenacious D all but died out. That's why, for fans of the D, their new movie, "The Pick of Destiny" arrives with great anticipation and surprise that it actually got made.

But for people who never saw their short-lived HBO series in the late '90s, or somehow missed (or have since forgot) the brief Tenacious D mania at the turn of the century, this one might go over their heads.

Fortunately for loyal fans, while Kyle Gass patiently waited for Jables to finish one "Nacho Libre" after another, the movie came to fruition. At its best, it's hilarious, raunchy and vintage D. Unfortunately, there are long lapses of "unfunny," including the film's first 15 minutes -- maybe JB became a little gun shy, since he hasn't been unleashed in his prototypical role for far too long.

The plot centers on the genesis of Tenacious D, a self-important duo of paunchy wannabe rockers who are trying to figure out how to pay the rent. After flopping on open mic night, they hear about a mythical guitar pick, fashioned from Satan's chipped tooth, and set out on a journey to steal it. If they can find this pick, they'll surely win the next open mic contest, pay KG's rent, and skyrocket to stardom.

There's more to the plot, sort of, but it doesn't really matter. This movie is all about watching JB and KG running around, being funny -- being Tenacious D.

Much of the time, they do it really well.

There's a scene in which Black eats some wild mushrooms and hallucinates that he's the son of Sasquatch -- it will leave you howling with laughter. There's a battle of the bands between the D and Satan, played by Dave Grohl, that is not only hilarious, but rocks pretty hard. The music, while not as amazing as what you hear on their first CD, is good -- though it's much more metal than acoustic, for the most part.

Finally, for hardcore Tenacious D fans, the duo dishes up dozens of inside jokes, which feels a little like vindication for having to wait so long for this project to come to fruition. That means references to Lee, "pushups," a few old tunes and more.

But between the moments of hilarity, there are also plenty of slow parts. Scenes that feel recycled, as well as self-indulgent monologues that hurt the film's momentum.

"P.O.D" might be a movie that is enjoyed more the second time around on DVD, and fortunately, it leaves the idea of a sequel wide open. Lets just hope that happens some time before 2010.

"Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny" opens in theaters Wednesday, Nov. 22.
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