Prime Time: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

This is it, finally. This is the epic musical biopic that we were all promised over a decade ago in an amusing short (that time with Aaron Paul in a main role). It’s the life of Al Yankovic, warts and all, and those who are fans of the entertainer should have a lot of fun with this.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe in the titular role, this is essentially a one-joke movie, but that one joke is very funny. Basically, what if the parody songs and polka-playing of Weird Al was viewed with the same reverence as some of the greatest music of our time. What if Al was all of The Beatles rolled into one, plus some Queen and Michael Jackson in there, plus a helping of enough rockstar godliness that he would end up in a harmful relationship with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood)? What if?

Directed by Eric Appel, who also co-wrote the movie with Yankovic (who is used to great effect onscreen as a doubtful music exec), this is everything you want it to be, even if you don’t know that until the tone of the film is set during the early scenes. It highlights some hits from Weird Al, showing a hilariously exaggerated creative process for one or two of them, and truly celebrates an iconic musical entertainer in a way that feels both fitting and in line with the perfect blend of smart and silly that has been a staple of Al’s work throughout his decades in showbusiness.

Radcliffe is fantastic in the lead role, unafraid to go broad and big with his performance. Okay, a lot of work is done by the wig and facial hair, but it’s still brilliant to see him so committed to such a whacky turn. Wood has a lot of fun portraying a fictional version of Madonna, and she is styled with the perfect look for the role, and the other highlights are Rainn Wilson (as Dr. Demento), Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson (playing the confused parents of our musical genius), and Jack Black being an amazing Wolfman Jack in a party sequence that is stuffed with brilliant, and hilarious, cameos. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though, and everyone is having so much fun that it really feels infectious.

I enjoyed this as I was watching it, and there are some obvious treats scattered throughout the soundtrack, but I wasn’t sure if I loved it once it all ended. Did I fully buy into the conceit, and did that conceit do enough to make up for the fairly straightforward presentation from a director making his feature debut, despite the many short segments and TV episodes under his belt? Well . . . it turns out that I did fully buy into it. Writing about it here has had me smiling again, and I would happily rewatch it right now. I imagine that most Weird Wl fans will feel the same way.

8/10

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