Hell Ride (2008)

I like weird, and I didn’t even know it had a name, Weird Al. You know that feeling when you were a kid when you didn’t fit in with the rest of the crowd, that you didn’t meet your parents' expectations, that you still feel this way after you’ve turned 18? I may not know much about Weird Al’s musical parody, but the film is relatable to anyone who feels, well, weird. And if I had to describe this film in one word, you’d guess it, it's weird. From what I gather, that’s true in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022), is Weird Al’s talent for parodying famous songs and playing the accordion. 

The key highlight of this film is Daniel Radcliffe’s performance as Weird Al. I wasn’t surprised that Radcliffe got the role, some may know him in serious roles, but Radcliffe has a funny bone from time to time. But, it was “weird’’ to see him in a musical parody, where he plays the accordion like an electric guitar and sings like a rock star. Weird may be a biopic of Weird Al’s life, but it’s far from the truth. That is, if you think the truth is subjective and what is true is what we conjure it up to be, then you and Weird Al himself would see this film as true.

Whether it be a satire of biopics, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story expresses originality (which is ironic given that Weird Al makes up words to famous songs) and of course, the weird. Weird has all the elements of what makes a comedy: an exaggerated plot of musical success and drug rings, over-the-top characters that are over-the-top in real life (Madonna), and meta humor that does not at all call the film out (irony). And what is more ironic than, casting an actor with the world’s saddest blue eyes to play a comedian musician? Seriously, when he’s singing “Another One Rides the Bus” I was laughing at how serious Radcliffe’s blue eyes look and his angry accordion skills about to pound, Jack Black’s character. And if you must know, Daniel Radcliffe may have been lip-syncing to Weird Al’s re-recordings, but he learned to play the accordion, and it seems to have paid off. To recap, Weird Al made polka cool, he makes you want to “Eat it” then “Beat it”, and he may have dated Madonna (he definitely did not date Madonna). I’ve never even heard of “My Sharona” and all I can think of is Bologna. 

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