Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (review)

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is now streaming on The Roku Channel.

The American musician and comedian Al Yankovic has spent his career changing the words of famous songs to provide us with something far more entertaining. Who could forget his parody of Michael Jackson’s Beat It called Eat It, or Another One Rides the Bus, a goofy take on Queens Another One Bites the Dust. But how do you tell the life story of a man who rode a comedic wave of 70s, 80s and 90s pop parodies? Simple, you play to his strengths and create a deliciously wacky parody of the classic rock biopic. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story joyously repaints Yankovic’s life and career, mashing classic rock biopics such as Walk The Line, Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and Elvis into a goofball comedy that never takes itself seriously, just like the man at the heart of the story.

Written by director Eric Appel and Yankovic, the movie expands upon a three-minute fake movie trailer published by Funny or Die in 2010. While there is a light sprinkling of truth to the story that ensues, Yankovic and Appel delight in creating a fabricated world where one man and his accordion take the world by storm. We are taken from Al’s all-American childhood, where Polka dominates the charts and teens long for the latest lederhosen, to Al’s secret accordion playing and his dad’s disdain for the devil’s instrument.

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But it’s when we meet the adult Al (Daniel Radcliffe) as he goes it alone in Los Angeles trying to score a record contract that Weird: The Al Yankovic Story hits its stride. From his inspiration for My Bologna (a parody of My Sharona) to his first meeting with DJ and star maker Dr Demento (Rainn Wilson). Weird: The Al Yankovic Story goes into comedic hyperdrive. The scenes where Demento introduces Yankovic to the world’s finest celebrity misfits, including Andy Warhol, Wolfman Jack and Pee-wee Herman, is utterly bonkers as it sends up the pool party sequence from Boogie Nights. Here the cavalcade of cameos is truly inspired as Emo Philips, David Dastmalchian, Jorma Taccone, Conan O’Brien, and Jack Black all make a welcome appearance.

But as Weird Al’s fame grows and the money comes rolling in, he is quickly led astray by Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood). Evil Madonna’s only interest is her own career as she demands Al covers her songs while introducing him to whisky and drugs as she lures him away from his band and Dr Demento. Meanwhile, Michael Jackson begins parodying Weird Al’s original songs, and Pablo Escobar seeks an audience with his favourite accordion player. It’s nuts! But it’s nuts in a good way, and the brilliant Daniel Radcliffe is at the heart of this weirdly satisfying romp’s success.

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Radcliffe looks nothing like the real Al Yankovic, his perm wig and 80s moustache reminiscent of Harry Enfield’s early 90s Scouse comedy characters, but that is part of the fun. Radcliffe holds the film together with a magnetic comedy performance full of gusto. His comic timing is truly something to behold, while his scenes alongside Evan Rachel Wood’s gun-wielding sociopathic Madonna are comedy gold. There are moments where you want Wood and Radcliffe to go full Bonnie and Clyde, riding into the sunset, holding up banks along the way – Madonna spraying bullets as Weird Al plays the accordion to the terrified hostages under their spell.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is delightfully entertaining, and while its absurd humour won’t appeal to everyone, and its runtime is slightly too long, for those who enjoy being taken on a magical mystery tour of weirdness, there is a hell of a lot to love in Appel’s movie.