Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

 

When my wife and I ran across the trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story roughly about a month before it was going to be released, we immediately said to one another that we had to watch this. It looked so stupid and over the top that we just couldn't miss it. And it also helped quite a bit that it was produced by Funny or Die, which already meant to me that it was going to encompass the right amount of all of what it needed-comedy, stupidity, fun and over the top rambunctiousness. And with this insanely satirical biopic film about the master of musical parody, it had to be a straight up win. As far as both of us are concerned, it is. Weird: The Al Yankovich Story does the whole full circle thing when it opens with him looking like hell, being escorted around very quickly in a hospital bed with blood coming out of his nose and eyes and everything. Then it decides to go all the way back to when he was a kid and his dad beats the living shit out of some random guy trying to sell an accordion to Al (or anyone) and the cops breaking up a polka party littered with polka music, polka teens and I'm assuming the best of polka food. I don't know what world this takes place in, but polka is apparently evil and maybe I don't want any part of it now either. Shit looks dangerous. But Al gets pressured into shredding it up and melting faces on an accordion at this shindig by all the other kids doing the chicken dance, so he naturally has to one-up them all by tearing it up before the cops get there as if it's some kind of drug infested crack den that needs to be shut down when really they're just kicking their feet in the air to the sweet sounds of 19th-century Bohemia. And trying to hook up with some sweet Polish girls. Probably. 

This is the story of the greatest parody song writer who ever lived, and it all starts with a cover of "My Sharona", which Al's version is "My Bologna". Clever. And funny. All three of his roommates believe in him which is the complete opposite of how his parents treated him when he was growing up. His dad was obsessed with him working in this hellish place that he's perpetually stuck at known only as "the factory" and no one will ever say what they make there. Even after Al attempts to start working there to try and satiate his father beyond becoming a huge star, the actual employee's there won't say anything about it either. And someone dies in the new machine when Al turns it on. Again. But there is a backstory to all of this seeming non-sense and Al even hooks up with Madonna for a long period of time and eventually does a parody of "Like a Virgin" with "Like a Surgeon". It's a huge hit on stage, even if he is plastered on whisky. But of course, Madonna was just using him to do that to help her own record sales, and eventually becomes the new leader of the Mexican drug cartel after Weird Al blasts Pablo Escobar and all of his main cronies into oblivion with a fucking M-16, which results in Madonna trying to shoot him as he walks away. And misses every time. Well, she did almost kill him when she shot him in the chest, but his very heavy multi-platinum, mini record necklace stopped the round from getting him. He's the most durable pop star out there.

Starting at the end to start at the beginning.

Dr. Demento, Coffin Joe, Mad Magazine- Al Yankovich was destined to be weird. And famous.

Your dad lost his hand to an industrial machine and a young kid was killed by it-yeah, a factory job will make a man out of you.

Devil's squeeze box. That's a great name for an accordion.

Dude, he was selling an accordion. You don't need to beat the living shit out of him.

I must be dumb because I don't even know what a hay-boy is.

   Melting faces with an accordion-hell yeah man! Not a guitar-an accordion.

M-m-m-my bologna!

Parody music in a punk club... yeah, you better start the car.

I love Rocky Road!

Devo, Elton John, Pee Wee Herman, Tiny Tim, Wolfman Jack, John Deacon-the list just goes on and on. Party on.

Another one rides the bus!

The last thing Al cares about right now is eating enough bran.

Wow-I'm glad I've never taken LSD.

Zits and zombies, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a damn blast. If you're a fan of anything that has to do with Weird Al, parody music or film, Funny or Die, Daniel Radcliffe, Madonna, or anything funny like this at all period-you're going to love this. This was meant to be over the top on purpose because it's Weird Al for Satan's sake, and it really felt like it had the right charm, charisma and attitude to pull it off without being to insane or to stupid for it's own good. That's when it would have fallen apart. Also, I think that if you've always been a fan of the film UHF that Weird Al did back in 1989, you also should really be into this as well. It's obvious right away that most of this is embellished and made up just for the sake of being funny, and I felt like it worked very well to it's advantage. Now, of course, the songs are the real songs that Weird Al has done over the years with my personal favorites always being Amish Paradise, Eat It and The Ballad of Jed Clampett (even though that one isn't in this flick) and they are represented well here even with a faux Coolio in the crowd as his parody is being performed. Just so good. If you need something brand-spanking new and funny at the same time, I highly encourage you to watch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Wolfman Jack wants you to to prove your worth.