Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

I became aware of "Weird" Al Yanokovic when I was about twelve.  One night I heard "Another One Rides the Bus" on the South Florida FM radio station Y-100.   It of course was a parody of Queen's huge hit "Another One Bites the Dust".  Already a seasoned smartass weaned on Mad Magazine and Monty Python, for me this was a choice discovery.  The next day I had a blank Certron loaded in my tape deck, eagerly awaiting its next play and hoping the DJ didn't talk over it too much.  Played it a million times until I finally bought the album, which was also played a million times.   A fan was born.

Al naturally gravitated toward visual mediums, memorably taking over blocks of time on MTV in the '80s for "AL TV", which are some of my favorite memories of the network.  Much later, the "Funny or Die" guys produced a trailer for a fake bio called WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY and Al played it during his shows.  As biopics like BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and ROCKETMAN became successful, the satirist decided it was time to make his own factually dubious full length movie.  Last Friday, the Roku Channel debuted the film which stars Daniel Radcliffe as Mr. Yankovic and was directed by Eric Appel.  Anticipation was ripe for fans.  Was the wait worth it? Would this be a worthy successor to Al's much beloved movie UHF from thirty years ago? Would this be a movie worth breaking open a jar of some pickled wieners?

Yeah, I guess.  I can't lie and feign the sort of enthusiasm I've seen from several critics and fans.  The film almost immediately has a sort of laid back rhythm that didn't seem right.  Too low key.  As the movie progresses and its events get increasingly absurd, the ebbed energy remained.  I have to blame Appel, as this incredible cast certainly gives it their all.  I mean, Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento? Jack Black as Wolfman Jack? A host of cameos from the likes of Patton Oswalt, Michael Mckean, Emo Philips?  With narration by "Rex Kwando" himself Dietrich Bader?  Even Conan O'Brien turns up as Andy Warhol, one of several guests at Demento's pool party, a scene that is amusing but strangely ineffectual.  When Warhol is asked about Yankovic's chance for stardom, he replies, "I give him fifteen minutes." Ha. 

WEIRD follows Al from childhood, when he learns he was meant for more than working with his father at the factory, to fame, fortune, Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood) as a girlfriend, alcoholism, and a gunfight with Pablo Escobar.  You know, just like it all really happened.  The often twisted ideas in Yankovic's and Appel's script are good but somehow they don't always take flight.  Example: in this telling, Michael Jackson's "Beat It" is actually a parody of Al's original, "Eat It".  Sounds inspired, but onscreen this idea just fizzles.  As does a surprising amount of (comedic) violence.   As does the teenage polka party scene, which on paper must've sounded fantastic but plays very awkwardly. 

The Madonna plotline was oddly flat, by the way.  It should've been dynamite.  And where was Michael Jackson? I guess in the same ether as Freddie Mercury, whose name was forbidden by his old bandmates to be mentioned.  Rotters. 

Al's Jim Morrison bit on stage was pretty funny, gotta say.

All the biopic tropes are skewered; there are even those frustrating inaccurate chronologies.  I loved the scenes where Al comes up on the spot with his classics "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides the Bus".  Radcliffe learned enough to fake it on the accordion but that's Yankovic's voice coming out of his mouth.   I think the filmmakers missed a good bet by not including scenes showing Al trying to get permission for his parodies (you have to go back to "AL TV" for that).  Instead, the idea of parodying biopics devoured this project and hey, no complaints, but it just should've been livelier.  I did laugh out loud several times.  My two favorite bits - young Al's spoof  of "Amazing Grace" and the reaction shot of a certain rapper as Al performs "Amish Paradise" during the finale.

And about that finale, kudos to Al for ending it this way.  Don't miss his new song during the end credits. 

P.S. - Yankovic himself plays record exec Tony Scotti.  Rather well, I might add.