Y’all. I don’t know why I expected a movie about Weird Al, produced by weird Al, to be an actual biographical video. I mean, I expected some parody and jokes, but ultimately I thought the movie would follow the life of America’s favorite parody artist somewhere accurately. Weird… did not.
The movie exists in some sort of Weird Al alternate universe where polka parties are illegal and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” was released after Weird Al’s “Eat It.”
We set the stage with a sad, geeky child desperate to chase his dreams of playing the accordion and changing the lyrics to other people’s songs. His parents, of course, aren’t supportive of his talent and his dad pressures him constantly from a young age to work at The Factory. (What the factory actually makes is still unclear.)
We follow Al from childhood to adolescence and his first illegal polka party, then beyond into stardom, a rollercoaster relationship with Madonna, and even an adventure in the jungle up against a drug cartel.
Throughout the course of the movie, Al is desperate to be himself against all odds. Stardom doesn’t treat him well and his life becomes a tragic parody of every star’s public breakdown.
Like Weird Al himself, what sets this movie apart is just how much it is overdone. Daniel Radcliffe shines as a somehow awkward, yet confident artist and Evan Rachel Wood is a perfectly ditzy party girl version of Madonna. The whole movie is littered with A-list actors, including Lin Manuel Miranda as the surgeon who inspired “Like A Surgeon” and Rainn Wilson as Al’s eccentric key to success, Dr. Demento.
Critics have given Weird mixed reviews, many of them criticizing the Madonna plot which I personally enjoyed. Did Weird Al date Madonna? I don’t know and I actually don’t care. This movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, which some critics don’t quite seem to be able to grasp. Maybe they view it as a lower art form, but I think the beauty of it is the fun.
I would give Weird: The Al Yankovic Story an 8/10. It’s available FREE to stream on the Roku Channel (no subscription or Roku device required.)
The Midnight Review 