Review of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
Seen in 2023.
Seen on an airplane’s in-flight entertainment system, with barely audible dialogue.
The first half powerfully reminds me of Airplane (1980) and other good ZAZ comedies: A dense and zany parody—this one of celebrity biographies—that uses committed actors once known for dramatic roles. Even in the movie’s second half, where the plot deteriorates, there is still a ZAZ vibe. The overblown action in Colombia echoes the opening of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988).
The production values are high, but the production itself was apparently rushed. This leaves some hard edges that I think Yankovic would have filed off in his usual methodical way if he’d had more time and been able to work on site in the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the morally inverted premise of illicit teen “polka parties” is too good to be dropped on the floor the way it is, and the stylized contempt for factory jobs speaks against Yankovic’s humanism. Evan Rachel Wood plays her evil Madonna just a tad too straight. On a lesser note, it’s fun to see Divine and Frank Zappa at Demento’s party, but it’s too bad they’re both silent.
References here: 2023-06-21/22.