Contrary to this biopic’s assertion, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic did not actually die in 1985 at the hands of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. I daresay this might have been a slight fabrication. In fact, I’m quite certain Al lived well into the 21st century … especially given that I just saw him give a televised interview discussing the 2022 movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story just last week.
I am also pretty sure that Alfred Matthew Yankovic never had an affair with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood), a serious drug problem, nor was ripped off by Michael Jackson.
Well, gee, what did you expect? A normal biopic? HA! From a guy who parodies pop songs for a living? Good luck. So what is the essence of this movie? Let me paint a picture: imagine an outdoor pool party at somebody’s modest SoCal suburban ranch house in the early 1980s. The look is homey and blasé except some of the guests include Andy Warhol (Conan O’Brien) and Salvador Dalí (Emo Phillips). And then Wolfman Jack (Jack Black) crashes the party just to taunt then rising star “Weird Al” Yankovic (Daniel Radcliffe).
None of that happened, of course, which is both the greatest strength and greatest weakness of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Whereas several setups and situations smack of a certain verisimilitude with what we know about Al, his reality has been stretched to well-beyond-bursting, like a heavy-set adult trying to fit into his first-grader’s desk during back-to-school night.
When it is discovered that little Alfie has a propensity for changing lyrics to songs, his alarmed parents sit him down and sagely advise he would be better served by changing everything about himself. I’m never not going to find that hilarious. Al’s no-nonsense father encourages Al to follow his footsteps and work in “the factory” even he won’t tell Al what they make. “You’ll know when you work there.” Still, Al falls for the charms of a door-do-door accordion salesman, and a future is sparked.
Let me be absolutely clear here: the majority of this “biopic” is Harry Potter runnin’ around in a loud shirt, fake moustache,
and ridiculous wig; the scenes of the future gold record satirist bear only a faint whiff to reality. This ain’t exactly Respect or Elvis. If you can handle that, I think you’ll be good with this one.
As a high schooler, Al sneaks out of the house after hours to attend a party, like all teens do. And, also like all teens, this is a Polka Party where Al’s secretive musical skills are first given an audience. It is hard to know which of these scenes will make you smile more genuinely. For me, however, it was the discovery of young adult Al by Al’s idol, Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson), who perks up upon hearing “I Love Rocky Road” at the back of a biker bar.
Confronting Al after leads to this exchange:
“You want to be my mentor”
“No, I want to be your DE-mentor!”
Clearly, somebody wrote the script with Daniel Radcliffe in mind.
“Weird Al” is a personal favorite of mine, so it’s likely I’m a tad jaded here, but I did find this material more-or-less consistently amusing, even knowing that this biography was pure fabrication. If I have any true quibble with the film, it’s that it is obvious to all that Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t do any singing in the picture. You know, it’s not like Al Yankovic has the pipes of Whitney Houston, was it really that bad an idea to let Harry Potter croon? I guess so. This leads me to a bigger question, and one constantly reinforced by how often the word “niche” is used in the film –Why are there no other major parody artists out there? Why is Al, seemingly, a genre of music unto himself? As long as there are music idols, there will always be a market for music parody. I love Al, but I wish he weren’t the only one.
There once was a songster named Al
Who had a thing for changing lyrics musical
To some, his resilience
Bordered on brilliance
To others, a strain on the ear canal
Rated TV-14, 108 Minutes
Director: Eric Appel
Writer: “Weird Al” Yankovic, Eric Appel
Genre: Fantasy bio
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of Al
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of truth
