Weird: The Al Yankovic Story -
This is one of the funniest comedies I've seen in a long time, and best of all, it's all true (according to Weird Al, anyway). It's hard to write a lot about the movie since its surprises are its biggest appeals, so I'll just say that it ably covers the most pivotal moments of Weird Al's career. They include his struggle to gain his father's affection, his struggles with alcohol abuse, a sordid love affair and...let's just say a performance on a rather notorious figure's birthday.
If this sounds like
Walk Hard to you, it is similar, but if you think you shouldn't bother as a result, think again. The comedy has Weird Al's stamp all over it, especially in the reveals of what inspired his most popular parodies like a personalized package of bologna or how he pokes fun at his squeaky clean (or is it?) image. Weird Al understandably has a lot of pals, which means there is a fair share of cameos. If the
Zoolander movies have taught us anything, it's that more does not always mean merrier, but I didn’t find that to be the case here since each one is inspired and well-timed. Also, between the laughs, the movie manages to slip in moments that are genuinely moving, the highlights being Weird Al’s speech in which he explains what’s good about being weird and any scene with his mentor, Dr. Demento (a very good Rainn Wilson). As for Radcliffe, while his casting may be in jest, he's awesome in the part, and with this performance, I'm at a point where I have to force myself to remember that he once played Harry Potter. Not all of Weird Al's parody songs are on the same level as "Amish Paradise" or "Dare to be Stupid," and by the same token, not all of the comedy in this movie sticks the landing. The moment when Weird Al claims he's abandoning parodies for original songs, for instance, isn't really paid off. The movie still stands as a worthy reminder that the comedy movie is alive and well, and what a silly, outrageous yet wholesome reminder it is.