Is 'Weird: The Al Yankovic' Story the story that Weird Al Yankovic deserves?

WEIRD: A Weird Al Story is pretty fun if you are a fan of Weird Al. It rides the line between being a parody of biopic movies, while also incorporating elements of Al’s real life. I think it sometimes struggles to balance the tone, and I think it could’ve benefited from being a little bit more weird. I think in parodying the biopic format, you kind of end up just making another generic biopic with different words. It only has a handful of Al’s songs, which are all tied to the plot in certain ways. It works, but I also would’ve liked to see a few more of his songs. But I also realized it was probably a challenge to get the rights to use many of his songs. Yes they are parodies, so there might be some wiggle-room. But also, Al always gets permission to parody other people’s songs, and there are also real people portrayed in the movie like Madona, so I imagine there might have been a lot of legal obstacles to work around. The movie is also super low budget, which occasionally shows.

The movie uses Al’s singing, with Daniel Radcliffe only lip-syncing. Part of the fun of these types of movies, is seeing how the actor will sing their version of a song you already know. With Weird, you could have this fun extra meta layer of Radcliffe doing Yankovic doing Michael Jackson, for example. On the other hand, Al’s voice is so distinct and iconic, that I also don’t even know if I want anyone else doing his stuff.

My main takeaway was that I really enjoy Weird Al, and I think he is an incredibly talented musician and comedian. I really enjoyed the original song in this movie, but it also left me wanting more. He hasn’t done an album in a while, and his most recent album, Mandatory Fun, is not the most memorable. I think part of the problem with Mandatory was that it felt like the songs chosen for parody, were already out of date by the time Al’s versions came out. Music and pop culture is so disposable now days, that trends last like a week and then everyone forgets. So I don’t really know what the answer is, but if Al dropped a new single every now and then, I’d be more than pleased.

WEIRD: A Weird Al Movie is based on a Funny or Die sketch, which featured Aaron Paul in the role, an equally inspired casting choice as Radcliffe. What’s weird about the movie, was that it felt like the role was written with Aaron Paul in mind, so many of the scenes felt like Radcliffe was doing an impression of Paul's version of Weird Al. Very meta, but I don’t know if Radcliffe really gets to come into his own. He does a good job, and looks hotter than ever, but didn't blow me away or anything. I am debating about whether I prefer Aaron Paul or Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al. I am both spoiled as a Weird Al fan, and taking this joke movie way too seriously. This idea kinda works better as a fake trailer, and all of the jokes in the original trailer make it into the final film. So the movie was sort of written around the trailer. But also, real trailers spoil entire movies all the time so maybe that’s part of the joke? I feel like I’m being too hard on this movie that was made as a joke from the studio that brought us the parody Steve Jobs biopic starring Justin Long. For what it is, it’s pretty entertaining. There’s some fun celebrity cameos, some good jokes, and it is clearly a project made entirely for fun. If you are a fan of Weird Al, I definitely recommend checking it out.

"Where do I watch this film?" you ask. Well, this is a Roku original, which means you need a Roku device to watch it. There is a Roku app that is available on some other devices, but not on my smart TV. So I may or may not have had to resort to less than reputable sources in order to even watch this thing. It reminds me of back when I first discovered Weird Al, downloading his songs on LimeWire. And now, in the midst of the streaming wars, it can be difficult to watch things that I’m actually interested in. It had a very limited theatrical run, not accessible to where I happen to live. The soundtrack is out digitally, and I was gonna buy the physical CD as a birthday present for my dad. He’s been listening to Weird Al since the Dr. Demento days, so it’s been a shared interest of ours for most of my life. I actually discovered Weird Al all on my own, watching the White and Nerdy, and Amish Paradise music videos on early YouTube. My dad eventually caught wind of this, and introduced me to the classics like Eat It, My Balogna, and Fat. My dad's birthday lined up almost exactly with the release of the movie, so I thought the soundtrack would be the perfect gift. But the physical OST doesn’t even ship till January, so I can’t even get it as a Christmas present. I want to support this movie, but it’s just not convenient to do so. Will there be a physical DVD or BluRay release? Maybe. I hope so. But maybe it will remain a Roku exclusive. It’s hard to know these days. So that might be the most frustrating thing about Weird. I want to support this movie, and give weird al my money, but it’s difficult and complicated to do so.

WEIRD: A Weird Weird Movie: The Story of Weird Al spends a lot of time on Al's parody songs, and those are probably what he is most known for. But some of his original songs are genuinely great, incredibly creative, and some of his best work. Albuquerque, an epic life story that goes nowhere. Trapped in the Drive-Thru, a beautiful horror ballad. The lesser known, Jackson Park Express, a bizarre imagined love story with so many insane jokes, that I feel like I pick up on something new with every listen. All of these songs have really vivid, funny, and unique plots, that showcase Al's abilities as a storyteller. And I wish the movie took more story influence from Al's zanier original works.

This is also one of the only biopics that I actually have any interest in. It’s an artist that I already adore, so I really wanted to really love this movie. I still liked it a lot, but I wish I loved it more. I’m hard on it because Weird Al is an extremely talented artist who deserves to be celebrated, and I feel like this film sells him a bit short. I hope we haven’t seen the last of Al and that he continues to make songs, films, and comedy. Whatever else he decides to do, I'll be there following, watching, and listening.