Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

Watching the Movie: 

If you enjoy "Weird Al" Yankovic and his comedy style, you'll enjoy the movie. If you don't, you probably won't. It really is that simple. It's full blown absurdity almost 2 hours, taking absolutely nothing; especially it's protagonist seriously. Still, if the idea of "Eat It" being a 100% original composition that resulted from an acid trip when Dr Demento gave you laced guacamole and chips whilst taking a bubble bath and Michael Jackson changing the words to the song weeks later to "Beat It" sounds funny to you; you will enjoy this movie.

Screening the Film:

As a spoof of entertainment fall from grace stories, it of course has a lot of the same imagery. Man's hubris, humans exploitative nature, especially in male/female dynamic. Talents and gifts of the individual and how the individual uses those talents and gifts. Self-esteem and its effect on behaviors, the role of mass media in society, the family dynamic, and the glorification of and obsession with celebrity in America.

Best Dialogue/Quotation:

"Yeah. I had a lot of soul searching to do. Was I a parody singer? An original artist? The most dangerous assassin in the world? Maybe I had lost my way. Don't get me wrong, there were things I loved about being Weird Al. The fame, the money, the fancy dinners, joining the Illuminati, going to the Illuminati holiday party, learning the truth about the moon landing and JFK. But without my family, none of that mattered. I knew what I had to do" 

The Bottom Line: 

I have been a huge fan of Alfred Matthew Yankovic for a very long time. I'm fairly certain the first album I ever purchased was "Even Worse" on vinyl when I was about six years old. His celebrity operates in a very odd space. I've often wondered why; given some of his material the PC police have never tried to cancel him for some of his more problematic content. Screening this film I realized the answer, nobody takes him seriously enough to care what comes out of his mouth; including Al himself. There's a certain power in that which is what this story really comes down to. Forget who your parents, your girlfriend, the record executives, even your friends sometimes want you to be. When you are yourself and live life on your own terms; then Madonna will bang you to further her career right before you wage a one man war on Pablo Escobar and get assassinated in 1985. It gets a little disjointed and tries too hard in places to go full masterpiece, but for the anyone who'd even consider watching it, it's good and it has some use as a film so I'll go:

4 out of 5

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