FilmSnobReviews

Title: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
MPAA Rating: TV-14
Director: Eric Appel
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Diedrich Bader, Evan Rachel Wood
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

What It Is: The real and true life story of parody musician “Weird” Al Yankovic…as told by him. We meet a humble young man interested in polka and the accordion. He also enjoys changing the words to popular songs in a way that many would consider parody. An almost unbelievable story of impossible odds all centered on one of the most unique musicians the world has ever seen. Just not told in a way you’re used to.

What We Think: Daniel Radcliffe is really REALLY good in this. Let’s start there. He gets what’s going on the entire time while being able to channel Yankovic perfectly. One of my few gripes with the films is that they might just go a little too meta here. A lot of the jokes and song origins are comically put together in such a way that they fit into a narrative like this perfectly. Most of the side characters aren’t anything serious and instead come off as an obscure circus. Still the film is as charming as it gets and the tongue planted in its cheek makes it such an enjoyable watch…plus you get to hear Weird Al songs…win.

Our Grade: B-, This is the sort of film that sneaks up on you. You don’t anticipate it being worth a damn and once you’re in it’s a fun and silly experience. If you’ve ever heard a Weird Al song you know the vibes you’re going to get here! So strap on your accordion and let’s get a polka going! A fantastic viewing experience even if the art of cinema seen here isn’t the most game-changing of experiences but you don’t always need that.