Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is exactly that, weird. It delivers on so many fronts and is a really fun, unique, and ridiculous movie.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is not your normal biopic. Instead, in true Weird Al fashion, it is a parody of one. Sure there are elements of the famous singer’s real life mixed in, but for the most part it is a gross exaggeration which results in a truly ridiculous, but absolutely hilarious movie.
This movie follows the life of Al “Weird Al” Yankovic. His career started with a door to door accordion salesman. When he realized that he could take already written songs, and change the words to make a new but funny song, for a living, he was all in.
Over the course of less than two hours, viewers are taken on a wild ride that is a clear parody of musical biopics. Fans of Al’s will be thrilled as we not only get to hear some of his greatest hits, we get to see a whole new side of what he is capable of. More biopic parodies from this team? Yes, please!
What Works With Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Eric Appel and Al himself wrote this movie, with Appel directing, and it hits on so many levels. These men are comedic geniuses. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is the true definition of go big or go home, and they go massive.
For those who didn’t see the trailers, and thought perhaps this would be a generic biopic, it only takes a few minutes to realize that is not the case. Each and every joke gets bigger and more crazy. This is the perfect movie to watch with your other Weird Al loving friends, because you can sing along while laughing so hard you have tears streaming down your face.
Biopics often take liberties of course, but not like this. There are many scenes that are pure fiction and put there just to blow some minds. If anyone watches this and believes everything that they see, they are going to have a very different opinion of the charming Weird Al we all know and love.
Daniel Radcliffe stars in this movie and it is very clear that he is having the time of his life. Hands down the best part of this movie is what he does with this role. That, coupled with his chemistry with Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Madonna, make this a must see. The two of them feel so far from the real life people they are portraying at times, and yet it is impossible to look away from them. They are electric on screen together, and give off major Boris and Natasha vibes.
As for the directing, it is extremely well done. The concert scenes, drug scenes, and well, every scene really come together to create something so entertaining that fans themselves will be having the time of their lives.
What Doesn’t Work With Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
The biggest issue with this movie is that it starts to feel repetitive towards the end. While each twist seems to get crazier and crazier, as it sort of models biopics of the past, the tropes start to get old. This isn’t to say it isn’t still funny, because it is, but here is where it starts to drag down. The point of it all though is that it is a biopic parody. Much like Weird Al’s songs he takes something that has already been done, and redoes it with flare.
One other thing to note is the long transitions. Between certain parts of the story, the film pauses, almost like it is setting up for a commercial break. These feel bizarre and out of place. They don’t take away from the overall movie, but they do mess with the flow a bit.
Overall Thoughts
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is parody at its finest. If you are looking for a film that will make you laugh your butt off, while simultaneously having you second guess everything you think you know about Weird Al, you have come to the right place. Hilariously and ridiculously entertaining, Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood give us two of the best performances of the year. Hopefully they will be remembered come award season because they are phenomenal in this.
Pop some popcorn, call up all your friends, and have a massive watch party for this film when it hits the Roku Channel on November 4th, because it deserves to be seen with a crowd.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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About Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Daniel Radcliffe is “Weird” Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true.
An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.