‘Weird’ is parody at its finest
Harry Potter’s got a squeeze box and Daddy’s gonna laugh all night.
Yes, that’s really Daniel Radcliff beneath the trademark jheri curl and aviators in portraying the prolific pontificator of parody, Weird Al. And he performs like a surgeon, venturing into the imbecilic in challenging us to endure his fat, Amish paradise. And if you don’t subscribe, you can eat it.
Since the real Weird Al co-wrote this rewrite of history with director Eric Appel, be assured absurd is the word, with no previous rock ‘n’ roll biopic spared from mockery. Abetted by Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna and Rainn Wilson as Al’s mentor – or, “dementor” – Doctor Demento, Radcliff is not just a hoot, but a revelation. A good 8 inches shorter than the real Al, but more than capable of rocking the accordion, Radcliff takes you on an over-the-top journey highlighting the mandatory sex, drugs and takedown of the Medellin Cartel.
Most of this hedonist activity is facilitated by Wood’s dead-on send-up of the money-obsessed Material Girl. From “The Doors” to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” nothing, and no one, is safe from being deservedly skewered. Are there cameos? Delightfully, dozens of them. Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol? Yes, please.
Movie review
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Cast: Daniel Radcliff, Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson
Director: Eric Appel
Writer: Eric Appel and Al Yankovic
Runtime: 108 minutes
Where to see: Streaming on the Roku Channel
Grade: B+
