“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is a wild ride from start to finish. Released on Nov. 4 on the Roku Channel, the film parodies a biopic film by telling the wildly exaggerated and almost entirely fictional story of Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic (Daniel Radcliffe) in true Weird Al fashion. Like the man himself, the film finds joy in following a formulaic template but finding a way to make it entirely its own.
The film plays on the tried and true beats of all biopic films, from the humble origins with disapproving parents — who, in Yankovic’s case, seem to believe that playing the accordion is a sin — to the rise — Yankovic is an overnight success and becomes the biggest star in the world — and fall — a troubled relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood) who drives a wedge between Yankovic and his band — of the artist’s career and a final soaring return to grace at the end the movie. But the film makes sure to have fun with it, and it lets the viewer know exactly what kind of movie they’re in for at the very beginning. Less than a minute in, we see a bloody Weird Al brought back to life — by Lin-Manuel Miranda in a cheap-looking wig — demanding to be brought pen and paper. This film is wonderfully outlandish and absolutely lives up to its title. It is weird.
The writing in the film is genuinely brilliant. There are more than a few moments that got a real chuckle from me. Priding itself on its unpredictability and utterly bizarre nature, the film often leaves the audience wondering what just happened and how it did. The second act of the film turns Yankovic into an action hero, the feeling of seeing Radcliffe’s Yankovic, who up until this point has been relatively tame, go on a murder spree in the jungle is nothing short of shocking. A majority of the movie also sees Yankovic and Madonna dating, who the real Yankovic said in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, that he has only met her once for about 45 seconds. The film takes comfort in absurdity and asks the viewer to just come along for the ride.
The cast of “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” does not disappoint, touting big names like Quinta Brunson, Jack Black, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Rainn Wilson, among others. Despite having so much star power, it does an incredible job balancing the amount of sheer talent on screen by giving each actor a chance to shine. However, Radcliffe, as Yankovic, is without a doubt the star of the film. His absolute commitment to absurdity shows his capabilities as a comedic actor. By deciding to play the character of Weird Al completely straight, by not blinking once at all the ridiculous things happening around him, his acting elevates the comedy and bizarreness of the film. Radcliffe’s ability to stay stone faced as the world tells him that parody writing is a sin is a highlight of the movie.
The film is not without its flaws, however. So much of the film is dedicated to the rise of Yankovic’s career that during the second act of the movie when his downfall starts the movie begins to lose steam. It’s not all that surprising that a movie built around the concept of parody starts to feel a little hollow. It doesn’t help that at this point in the movie a new plot point is introduced that completely takes focus away from the rest of the story. While the movie never outstays its welcome, there are moments, primarily the love story between Yankovic and Madonna, where I could feel myself just waiting for it to start wrapping up. The jokes can start to feel a tad trite, and the film’s charming absurdity starts to lose some of its charm. However, it recovers relatively quickly and begins to wrap up the film cleanly in the third act as Yankovic returns to the good graces of fame.
The movie is an absurdist paradise, a love letter to parody, and a home for oddity. While it likely won’t go on to win any awards, except for its soundtrack — which the film itself pokes fun at with a real lyric in the end credit song being “This song is technically eligible for Oscar consideration” — it is guaranteed to deliver some laughs and an overall good time.