At the Movies with Alan Gekko: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story “2022”

MPAA Rating: TV-14/Genre: Biography-Parody/Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Julianne Nicholson, Quinta Brunson, Spencer Treat Clark, Dot-Marie Jones, Will Forte, Scott Aukerman, James Preston Rogers, Tommy O’Brien, Nina West, Arturo Castro, Conan O’Brien, Jack Black, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Demetri Martin, Paul F. Tompkins, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patton Oswalt, David Dastmalchian, Elijah Wood, Nat Faxon, Thomas Lennon, David Bloom/Runtime: 108 minutes

I think it is a safe enough claim to make that every so often in the land of movie magic, audiences are treated to a slice of cinema that permits the people involved in making it to dip their toe in that distinct yet magical realm known as polka dot weird. This voyage incidentally is one that has only a single way of transportation and that would be courtesy of the individuals in question working on a slice of cinema that is complete and utter madness, loopy, and yet just the right degree of assertive towards its lunacy that as a result sees those who choose to sit down and watch it finding themselves strangely drawn to it. The reason I mention this distinct category dear reader is because I feel that it is a category that fits the new release, and slice of cinema I am reviewing for you all today, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story to the letter since it is one film that manages to be odd, comical, likable with even a dash of surprising darkness thrown in for good measure. More than that though, this slice of cinema from helmer Eric Appel proves to be an engaging entry in the biopic genre about the titular immensely gifted yet very much an oddball musician/performer who became an icon thanks in large part to his creative talent for remaking songs others had done before him simply by tinkering with their lyrics to just the right degree. As a result, if this slice of cinema had been one that was a straight up drama without even a hint of comedic quirkiness in sight, this is one time where I feel that mixture would be a huge misstep given the subject at the heart of it. As it is though, I can safely say that Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a slice of cinema that fits into the category of being one you just plain and simply have to see in order to believe to a t. Yes, you may also have to put your disbelief on the shelf for awhile to say nothing of forget everything you thought you knew about this genuine pop culture icon, but trust me when I say it is definitely worth it since not only his Yankovic’s life story not as known as someone like Elvis or Johnny Cash, but because in many respects this is a hilarious parody as much as (if not more so at times) it is an on-point entry in the biopic genre. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in the mix wonderful and just plain fun work on both sides of the camera then what you are left with is not just a fantastic slice of cinema. Rather, you also get a delightfully weird, quirky, and yet quite passionate film that I don’t think you will see another quite like it for the rest of this year and even all of next year come to think.

The plot is as follows: So the first thing you should know right off the bat is that this slice of cinema is by no means a straightforward biopic. Rather, it may give us some details that are true, but for the most part this is one saga that takes cues more from something in the vein of Spinal Tap, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, or 2016’s Popstar than 2005’s Walk the Line or 2004’s Ray. With that in mind, our story begins with our hero as a young boy who is by no means a music or pop culture icon. Rather, he is very much a social outcast who isn’t understood by anyone despite desperately wishing that he was. Yet even though Al desperately wants to be recognized for his musical talents, it certainly doesn’t help when his father thinks his talent at changing up the lyrics to other songs is nothing short of blasphemy and his mom may love him with all of her heart, but sadly isn’t any more of a fan of his work than his dad is. Suffice it to say then that, aside from having to play his beloved accordion in secret to say nothing of high school parties, it isn’t until our hero is able to move out and make his way to L.A. where we see things finally begin to look up for him. Not only because he gets a group of roommates who both encourage him to follow his dream and even appreciate his talents to the point that they also are willing to become his band mates, but he is also seen performing by an L.A. radio cult icon by the name of Dr. Demento who takes him under his wing, and his wink and nod songs quickly catch fire and become just as if not even more successful as the original works themselves (or something to that effect). Yet just when it looks like smooth sailing ahead, we see a storm present itself on the horizon made up of equal parts heavy partying, alcohol, ego, self-loathing, doubt, and (I kid you not) Madonna. Thus, can our music wonder make his way through this storm and the ensuing fallout to get back to who he is meant to be or is this one icon whose star is about to go out a heck of a lot quicker than it was able to start shining as brightly as it did in the first place? That dear reader I will leave for you to discover for yourself……

Now even though it is a treat to see just how much fun this slice of cinema and the people involved on both sides of the camera seem to be having at both humorously exaggerating as well as condensing the story of its titular character’s climb up the ladder of fame, it is still just as delightful to see the creative minds behind it still at first stick to the general details of this distinct tale. For example, Dr. Demento, yes he is a real guy dear reader, was absolutely vital to Weird Al’s early triumphs. Along with that, the song “My Bologna” was seriously recorded in a bathroom even if it wasn’t, as shown in this slice of cinema, a bathroom at a bus station where our hero and his band had to kick people out. Finally, yes Yankovic did live record his parody song “Another One Rides the Bus”, but at the same time it was not done at a glamourous party that had DJ Wolfman Jack, Pee-Wee Herman, and DEVO among other wonderfully odd yet skilled talents present. Be that as it may be, the fact remains that by making the choice to even remotely work with facts, this slice of cinema is then permitting itself to both riff and deviate in ways that are fairly consistently engaging. Perhaps one of the finest and funniest examples of this found in the movie is the scene where we see Al as a teenager discreetly participating in a “polka party” that gets his talents their first whiff of recognition….only to have it busted by the cops. Unfortunately, as much as it’s fun to see certain elements in it including the fact that this is where the film chooses to go all-in on a delightfully uber gonzo-style narrative as well as bringing the character of Madonna into the picture in ways that feel less like something Al would have been a part of and more like something Madonna’s real-life 80s squeeze Sean Penn definitely would have, it still needs to be said that the second third to this slice of cinema is frustratingly run of the mill of many movies like it. Yes, a chunk of the dilemma can be attributed to the fact that the movie makes the choice to put more of an emphasis on set pieces rather than comedic bits and jokes delivered in passing that are all genuinely funny in their own way. Even with that in mind though, there is also no denying that this slice of cinema also damages itself by engaging in the typical emotional moments for a film like this even as it also, for a little bit, transforms into a Rambo-style action flick involving Pablo Escobar (!) before then coming back to what worked earlier in the final third of the film. However, even though this film inevitably decides to go through the motions whilst making fun of the motions themselves, it should still be noted that the actual performances of the songs are phenomenally done and the collection of winks and nods to Al’s career will certainly make those of you in the know smile with appreciative glee. Suffice it to say that this slice of cinema might function as a typical entry in this distinct genre of movie magic at times, it is also able to pull through and ultimately confirm that Yankovic may be the ultimately paraphraser, but he has still managed to carve out an iconic legacy for himself that is truly his and his alone.

Of course, for a slice of cinema in this vein to work on the level that this one is ultimately able to pull off, there is one thing above anything else that it needs to have working in its favor. That being that it possesses a dynamite cast of players who not only get the assignment, but who are also willing to bring no more and less than 110% no matter what. Fortunately, this slice of cinema is blessed with a truly phenomenal group of acting talent that are able to accomplish just that. This starts obviously with the performance of the titular character given here by none other than Daniel Radcliffe and honestly, he is fanfreakingtastic. Yes, I know that initially Radcliffe might at first seem like a wee bit of an odd choice for the part since he doesn’t exactly look like the real-life Weird Al. With that in mind though, the fact remains that ever since Harry Potter wrapped up Radcliffe has shown that not only does he have range as an actor, but he also has found a second phase of sorts as a wonderfully gifted comedic performer as evidenced by such work as his turn as the delightfully smarmy/goofy villain in this year’s The Lost City. Suffice it to say that it is Radcliffe’s comedic chops that come to play here and when partnered with both Al’s distinct Hawaiian shirts as well as a fairly on-point hairpiece, the end result is both a terrific tribute to this one-of-a-kind guy, but also a fairly solid performance in its own right as well. We also see that Radcliffe is backed up by a lot of terrific support talent in this and they all, without going into spoilers on who a lot of these people are playing in this, manage to do a brilliant job in their respective parts from the always delightful and welcome Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) as Dr. Demento to Toby Huss who is fairly hiss worthy at points as Al’s father who doesn’t exactly think his son or what he’s doing with his life for that matter are really as special as everyone else seems to think. Out of everyone in the support cast however, there is one that I think deserves to be mentioned above the rest and that would be Evan Rachel Wood in the role of Madonna (yes as in “Material Girl”, “Little Prayer”, and “Like a Virgin” Madonna). Indeed, from nailing Madonna’s voice, the gum chewing, and all the way to literally looking like she just came off the set of one of the movies she made in the 80s (probably Desperately Seeking Susan if I had to guess) Evan Rachel Wood doesn’t just play a wonderful parody of sorts of this icon so much as she nearly becomes her through and through. Suffice it to say that I might have issues with the arc that this film gives the character of Madonna in relation to Weird Al, but that still doesn’t take away from how memorable the work done by Evan Rachel Wood in this truly is.

All in all it’s a bit weird to point out, but fairly consistently in this slice of cinema we get to witness as Al tells people that he might not be the best of the best when it comes to those individuals who are gifted enough to play the musical instrument that is the accordion, but in his specific corner of the music industry there is no denying that he might very well be one of the most iconic to ever pull it off. The reason I say that this is weird dear reader is because that way of thinking can definitely be applied to the movie as a whole as well. Indeed, is Weird: The Al Yankovic Story the best of the best when it comes to the specific genre of movie magic that is the lampooning of the biopic? Sadly, especially for those of you out there who are fans of the man, not even close. That honor is still one that, in the eyes of this reviewer, is still held to this day by the criminally underrated Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story from 2007 in part because they actually let John C. Reilly embody the character right down to letting him actually sing the songs on the soundtrack. With that in mind however, that does not mean that this slice of cinema is one that is an absolute trainwreck and a half. Far from it. Indeed, it may have its fair share of issues, but Weird: The Al Yankovic Story nevertheless is still a quite likable and consistently funny glimpse at one of the best if not the best satirical musician ever right down to wonderful work on both sides of the camera from immensely talented people who aren’t here to cruelly make fun of this delightfully odd guy, but instead are here to pay their respects to him and the mark he has made on both music and pop culture as a whole. Suffice it to say that if you ever wanted to see a movie that has the guts to actually be comedically idiotic and actually triumph as a result then definitely give this film a shot. I promise you’ll enjoy every bit of bologna that comes with it. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Weird: The Al Yankovic Story “2022” a solid 3.5 out of 5.