Film: Weird - The Al Yankovic Story

 

GENRE: Comedy ‘Biography’
RATING: 14+ for violence and mild sexuality
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes
PLATFORM: Roku (good luck trying to get this though)
STARRING: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter; Swiss Army Man; Horns)
Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld); Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire)
DIRECTOR: Eric Appel (Die Hart; Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
WRITERS: Appel (Pretend Time) & Weird Al Yankovic (UHF, parodies)
PLOT: An incredibly fabricated biography of the most well-known lyrical parody-ist of all time.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I absolutely love Weird Al Yankovic.      

STORY STUFF: If you are looking for an accurate biography of Yankovic’s life, you won’t find it here. There are true moments but most of the movie is played for laughs with ridiculous detours. I love how they try and make this film into an Oscar bait drama but then have an outrageous scene of Yankovic’s dad dealing with an accordion salesman. I really enjoyed the childhood and teenage segments. There’s a party that Al sneaks into that is so well done. I did wish there was more story dedicated to his inspiration for songs. There’s too much of Madonna in this film and the detour to the jungle seems unnecessary.  

ACTING STUFF: Radcliffe was chosen because he can do comedy and drama and is willing to do weird stuff like being a flatulent corpse in Swiss Army Man. He does an admirable job as Yankovic and is fun to watch. I also enjoyed the younger versions of Al. There’s a great party scene where a bunch of actors cameo playing odd celebrities like Pee-Wee Herman and Salvador Dali. Huss and Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Eastown) do a great job as Al’s disapproving parents. Also really enjoyed his incredibly supportive friends/bandmates.

ARTISTIC STUFF: You can tell that they are not playing with a very large budget. It looks a little TV movie-ish at time. I am very fine with the film using Weird Al’s original vocals instead of having Radcliffe sing himself. Also, listen to the lyrics over the credits. Fun stuff.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like Weird Al Yankovic and want some laughs
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Black Panther 2, Blonde