Bizarre: the story of Al Yankovic was, well, weirder than I expected. I walked into the movie completely blind. I hadn’t seen any trailers and hadn’t read any synopses. The only information I had before was that Daniel Radcliffe was playing Al Yankovic, and I thought that was a great cast. I was expecting a traditional biopic; however, Weird Al Yankovic is rubbish but traditional and he deserves a movie that matches his eccentric and outlandish personality. Weird It’s exactly that. A wild reimagining of Al Yankovic’s rise to stardom filled with laughs, music and cameos galore.
Al is a young boy with a big dream. He wants to make music, and he wants to do it by replacing existing song lyrics with funnier ones. But his parents are strict and authoritarian. They expect him to follow in his father’s footsteps by taking a job at the factory (what they do at this factory remains a mystery). When Al puts everything on the line to prove he has what it takes to create hit songs, parodies, and it pays off. Soon, he becomes a superstar, raising his fame and fortune to the top of the industry.
Also Read: Daniel Radcliffe Stars in Weird Al Biopic’s First Trailer
If you were a kid in the 80s or 90s then you know exactly who is Al Yankovic. Strokes like I like Rocky Road, eat it, and Amish Paradise were ultimate earworms. Much like the character of Ernest, played by the late Jim Varney, Al was a childhood icon. His childish sense of humor paired with his rather clean, family style of entertaining have made him a household name. So why wouldn’t he have a biopic dedicated to his story?
‘#Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ is a ridiculous look at the rise of America’s favorite musician! It’s a parody of music, bio-pics and Weird Al himself! A pleasant surprise, and one of the most FUN movies of the year!
Also, Cameos Galore!@Roku @TheRokuChannel @alyankovic pic.twitter.com/5RwDXC1mo5
—Joshua Ryan (@MrMovieGuy86) November 2, 2022
Rather than acting like an actual biopic, Weird loosely follows Al Yankovic’s rise to super stardom while surrounding his life with moments of pure fiction. It’s more of a parody of Weird Al than a biopic. After all, Weird is not only on Al Yankovic is also co-written by him. And we’d expect nothing less from the man who brought us Like a Surgeon. It’s an intentional prank that targets clichés from biographies, musicals, and anything else she can think of.
Radcliffe has long since ditched the childlike persona that his iconic portrayal of Harry Potter gives him. By following a career path similar to that of Elijah Wood and choosing to focus on smaller, independent and arthouse films, he separated himself from the pack. He fully embodies Al Yankovic’s staff, minus the vocals. Radcliffe’s vocals are dubbed by Al Yankovic himself for musical moments. As good as Radcliffe is, it’s Jack Black who steals the show with his short appearance as American DJ personality, Wolfman Jack.
Weird is Al Yankovic’s ultimate experience. There’s his music, his jokes and his unpredictable style. That’s all a fan can hope for. Will everyone like it? Certainly not. Will most? I think so. But some how I don’t think Yankovic would be too concerned about naysayers and detractors. He is fully and completely himself and has lived his life embracing his own quirks. If someone doesn’t like it, he can Eat it.
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