By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Eric Appel
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe | Evan Rachel Wood | Julianne Nicholson | Quinta Brunson | Rainn Wilson
Country: united_states
Year: 2022
Running time: 108
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17076046/reference/
Brett says: “The hype that preceded the concept of an Al Yankovic biopic was justifiably darn near celestial by its very nature, especially when practically everyone—filmmakers and audiences alike—have been in on the gag from day one that this is actually promoted to be one gigantic Don Quixote type of heroic absurdity for a very niche portion of the modern era. (And if you’re not trying to think of a parodic rhyme for Quixote at this stage, you’re not doing it right.)
“To be clear, the gimmick here is that Al Yankovic greenlit a project that completely fictionalizes a look back at his accordion superhero origin story, his rise to fame, and subsequent career trajectory into the musical stratosphere. So, it’s a bit unique in that it’s a mock biopic, but unlike WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY and the like, the source material is a real person with an already accessible and widely known biography.
“With that said, therein lies quite the problem for WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. Essentially, an outsider has written and directed the spoof as just that: a spoof of something he hasn’t been a part of at all. Going into it, one might expect the majesty and one-of-a-kind bonkers approach from Yankovic himself, but by and large, it’s really out of his hands and not a project with enough Weird Al fingerprints on it. And it shows. The film starves for more input from the king of pop/rock/rap/polka parody, but it’s clear this is filmed through much more restrained, tamed studio lenses.
“The first two acts are largely a waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop carriage ride compared to what should be expected from the source himself. It’s clear that humor and mockery are the attempt, but it doesn’t take long before one remembers that biopics like this have already been successfully attempted and been far more weird and risky than this film, which ironically goes so far as to call itself WEIRD. That’s where the real swing-and-a-miss is evident. For all its intended homage and respect to Al himself, its limitations on not going ‘too far’ is actually more of a firm handshake of appreciation rather than the wallowing in bizarro world that the music icon deserves.
“Don’t misunderstand; it’s weird in its own way at times. But the jokes are either bland or fairly saccharine more often than not. It draws from other biopics, as one might expect of a parody-related film, but bigger and bolder choices were needed. As has been said already, other mock biopics have done this sort of thing already, so the bar has already been set. This isn’t a new venture, so like it or not, the film just can’t brand itself a Weird Al movie and expect to thrive without delivering the necessary goods the genre requires to go along with it.
“The film does have a fair share of outlandish highlights in the final act, so it’s not a total loss. And the end credits are arguably the best part of the entire film, well worth the wait for Weird Al fans and that’s all that needs to be said about that. Perhaps that is also part of the film’s setbacks. It’s clear that we are watching Daniel Radcliffe in the title role when all that’s really needed is some sort of version of Al in a PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE-esque moment where we can see his charisma on display: ‘You don’t wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I’m a loner, Dottie, a rebel.’ [Or Madonna, ‘Madottie’ if you will.] But, instead we’re caught between the obvious stylings of Radcliffe, which come across flat more often than not ,versus the more effective authenticity of the ‘Weird One’ himself. 2 cats out of 5
“*Recommended for any fans of Weird Al just because some of the references and derailments will occasionally stick the landing for folks ‘in the know’*
“*Not recommended for anyone reading this and wondering, ‘Weird WHO?’*”