Biopics are interesting. As much of a biography as it actually is a blend of fact and fiction that can often lead to a solid movie, even if it's more of an exaggerated take on the celebrity's life. So it's a genre very easy to parody. Though getting the parody just right is where it can be tricky. Thankfully the master of parody himself managed to show us just how it's done. It's the true (but not actually) story about Weird Al Yankovic, in 2022's Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. A project by Funny or Die and Weird Al that was added to the Roku Channel of all places, yet weirdly feels like the perfect spot for such a movie. So, what did I think of this foray into the totally not a parody life of Weird Al?
The plot of the movie is a parody of musical biopic movies similar to Bohemian Rhapsody, categorizing the rise and fall of Weird Al. His humble beginnings with his strict, accordion and parody song-hating father, his big break in the music industry, his fling with Madonna which led to his downfall, and the big comeback that ends in tragedy. Though surprisingly not how Hank Hill described it. But still a dark enough way to end the story of Weird Al. Now that would have been one hell of a way to end this movie. But I guess being assassinated during an awards show is just as dark a way to go in the grand scheme of things.
Daniel Radcliffe is perfectly cast as this version of Weird Al. From the humble kid trying to find success to the trainwreck he becomes. He also manages to look just enough like 80s Al (the best look for Al honestly) that it never feels distracting. That's the magic of Radcliffe in general that he can take on any project and make it work spectacularly and this is no exception. Also props to Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna. I love the subversion of her involvement in Al's story. The obvious manipulation of him so that he can make her famous with one of his parodies. And then it just takes an unexpected direction that is way more hilarious. And that it all plays to the finale of the movie works well. Rainn Wilson was great as Dr. Demento, feeling like both Al's surrogate father and as both his good and bad influence.
And that's really why I like it so much. You don't get parody movies like this anymore. One that always stays focused on the genre its parodying while also knowing when to go over the top and silly. And it's hard not to get as silly as you can when Weird Al is involved. You'll have your very basic story involving Al's downfall, then suddenly he's in Colombia, ready to assassinate Pablo Escobar. All with just the right amount of dark comedy attached to it. Scary Movie really hurt the parody genre more than it helped, turning it from parodies of a specific genre to just a mishmash of whatever the new popular thing is, thereby dating the movie worse than the parodies of the Zucker brothers back in the eighties. Really hope this is more the rule than the exception as time goes on. Give me more of these.
You also get a lot of great cameos, especially during the scene at Dr. Demento's party. Some I realized who they were from the get go, while some actually caught me off guard. Case in point it didn't dawn on me until the credits that Emo Philips was Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol was Conan O'Brien. Blame more me not fully being on my recognizable game than usual, I guess. Only one I didn't care much for was the Pee Wee Herman impersonator. Nailed the voice but just felt the most off in terms of looking like Pee Wee. It's a gift and a curse that I'm so old now that I still pop for these nostalgic references. Making me gleeful about this kind of stuff is just one of my quirks I guess. Another thing that won my heart with this movie was the credits song. Another perfectly silly Al song that jokes on the tropes of movie credits and hits the old double fake out. You couldn't ask for a more perfect way to close things out.
So what Didn't I like? Well, I think that there are a couple of cases of going too far with a joke that it becomes boring. The injured accordion salesman for example. And that even with the film being a parody, many things were too predictable about it. Like Al's dad and why he was against Al being expressive or using an accordion. Though part of me expected that the swerve of what the factory made was accordions, so I was let down that we never knew WHAT the factory makes, but that's also the point. It's more a plot device to play into the main crux of the story, which is Al wanting his father to be proud of him. Which plays very well given his relationship with Dr. Demento and their final payoff. And the payoff with Al and his dad does feel warranted and worth waiting for, tied together with a great looking animated sequence about Nick Yankovic's origin story.
So yeah, I really liked this one. I think UHF will always be the Al movie I love more, but this one is just as beloved to me. The ultimate example of Weird Al can do no wrong and everything he touches turns to some really bizarre yet fun gold. While it's not laugh a minute, the comedy that does land and the many incredible references made this so much fun to watch. So I think I can safely give it four stars. If you enjoy Weird Al or parodies, or biopics, or parodies of biopics featuring Weird Al, then you'll find a lot to enjoy with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. ****
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