“Life is like a parody of your favorite song. Just when you think you know all the words: surprise, you don’t know anything.”

– Grizzled Narrator, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

It’s so incredibly easy to take a musician like Al Yankovic as little more than a joke. He’s made his living by writing brand-new lyrics overtop the musical compositions of other artists, occasionally throwing in his own originals from time-to-time. Here’s the thing, though, his work is a joke. Each and every parody song is a joke. So to try to call it something else would be disingenuous to his legacy. The artist we call “Weird Al” is a fabulous comedian whose way of generating laughs isn’t the traditional method of set-up/punchline, rather, he collects and recrafts popular tunes into something idiosyncratic, absurd, or otherwise bizarre, inducing laughter for decades. So when it was announced that Weird Al would be getting the cinematic autobiography treatment with Daniel Radcliffe (Horns; Guns Akimbo) starring as the Hawaiian shirt clad artist, folks got excited. Except the film released, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, directed by first-time feature filmmaker Eric Appel and co-written by Appel and Yankovic, isn’t anything like The Fighter (2010), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), or NYAD (2023), playing things straight. That would be too pedestrian and empty of the energy and perspective of the subject. Instead, Weird is a celebration of Yankovic by playing loose with the truth and essentially functioning as a parody of every biography released in cinema history and any that may come next. If this sounds like a good time to you, rejoice because Shout! Studios is bringing Weird to shelves in the U.S. with a 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD edition that you can slide right next to the rest of your Yankovic records, cassettes, or CDs.

Daniel Radcliffe as Al Yankovic in WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. Photo courtesy of Roku.

From the time Al Yankovic (Radcliffe) was a young boy, the desire to rewrite songs with his own silly lyrics created a divide between himself and his parents, Nick and Mary (Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson). They worried about the impact of the devil music that came from his accordion and pushed him to go to pursue a stable career like Nick at the factory. Undeterred, Al developed a few tracks, earning the attention of his idol Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) and fans around the globe, becoming a global sensation. So big, in fact, that he would earn the attention of the Material Girl herself, Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood), whose interest in the budding musical sensation would alter the world as we all know it.

Since the film’s been out and available to screen since November 2022 via The Roku Channel, let’s focus on the physical release before talking about the movie.

This physical release from Shout! is not the first for Weird. That title goes to Umbrella Entertainment who offered all three physical format editions, but also two collector’s edition which included multiple additional items, including a specialty Hawaiian shirt. However, it does reportedly include an intro from Al, behind-the-scenes materials, and the theatrical trailer. Though Shout! isn’t offering a shirt to go with their edition, what they do offer will more than make up for it.

Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna in WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. Photo courtesy of Roku.

To begin with, the 4K UHD edition includes a Blu-ray, while the Blu-ray includes the DVD. There is no dual-format offering from Umbrella. Additionally, the 4K UHD features a brand-new commentary track from Yankovic and Appel, so if you’d like to learn about the making of the movie and all the wildness you see on screen, the Shout! edition is the only way to access it. Luckily, it’s not format-locked as the Blu-ray also includes this commentary track. The Blu-ray also includes a brand-new collection of deleted/extended/alternate scenes (nearly 25 minutes!!) “hosted” by Yankovic and Appel. Unfortunately they aren’t individually listed, so you can’t just jump to one portion or another, you have to watch them in full or fast-forward to the portion you want to see on a revisit. The commentary and scenes are the only portions listed as “new” on the press materials, but that may be because the bulk of what remains is more like a collection of press materials so that fans of Yankovic can enjoy as much as they can without having to track down other sources. What does this look like? It’s the full Late Night with Seth Meyers interview with “Yankovic and Radcliffe that was featured in many articles back in Nov 2022, an IMDB exploration of all the cameos, a Variety interview from Toronto International Film Festival, and more, as well as a lyric video for the song over the trailer, “Now You Know.” In short, the Umbrella edition may have come first, but those who love the film or Yankovic are going to want to snag this version simply because it has all the goodies to extend the experience. Because if you are on the same wavelength of this film, then it’s not a film you’re going to watch once anyway and you may as well have all the materials to go with it.

It’s worth noting that the press notes indicate that the 4K edition is a new master with HDR and Dolby Vision but there’s no indication from what materials it was created or how it specifically differs from the previously available edition. What can be said is that the audio elements (I tested the 5.1 Dolby track as I don’t have equipment for the Atmos track) are absolutely satisfying during the musical sequences, of which there are several. It’s hilarious to see Radcliffe doing his best, often failing purposefully, to keep up with the music track that we hear of Yankovic’s voice (clearly another screwball technique instead of having Radcliffe do it himself). Considering that the film did screen at festivals like TIFF and Savannah Film Festival 2022, nothing in the audio balances suggests that it was designed specifically for the home viewing experience and that comes out in the mix on the home release, too. As far as the video element is considered, given the heightened reality of the film and the sort of lo-fi approach to aspects of costuming and makeup that give off a Drunk History vibe (meant entirely as a compliment), the film isn’t exactly beautiful or low grade so much as locked on the silly tone of its subject. Therefore, while the video does make use of the HDR by providing a clean image with no artifacting and great detail, this isn’t exactly Oppenheimer (2023) or Barbie (2023) where the HDR either helps to ground the film in realism or accentuate the hyperreality. Here, Weird is just, well, weird and so one doesn’t come away feeling as though the 4K UHD HDR does anything more than provide the best possible picture, but one would be fine with the Blu-ray, if one should be debating.

L-R: Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey and Daniel Radcliffe as Al Yankovic in WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. Photo courtesy of Roku.

If you’ve come this far into this home release review and don’t have a sense of what you’re in for, please allow me to briefly breakdown for the *brilliance* that is Appel and Yankovic’s Weird. The singer/songwriter’s songs are, themselves, playful versions of the originals. The new versions typically have nothing at all to do with the source material, but the humor comes from knowing what the original is as well as the sassiness of Yankovic’s lyrics. Therefore, it makes total sense that this biopic is exactly the same wherein the film bears all the hallmarks of what audiences expect from a film about someone’s life, but then — in Yankovic fashion — it pulls a hard turn and follows its own path. This translate to disgruntled parents directly ask young Al to give up on his dreams and stop being weird and that father Nick is absurdly violent with the salesman who sells Al his first accordion. It’s familiar, but heightened. Its’ true that Demento was instrumental in Yankovic’s success, but did he really invite Yankovic to a party that included guests such as Pee-Wee Herman, Tiny Tim, Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Wolfman Jack, and John Deacon and that’s where “Another One Rides the Bus” originated? Yankovic tells us in the Seth Myers interview that he barely knew Madonna, but Weird implies that the business savvy artist was not only Yankovic’s girlfriend but nearly the Yoko for Yankovic’s friends and frequent bandmates. A dusting of truth and a heap of parody that fits right into the catalog Yankovic has created on wax and on video (music and UHF (1989)). Weird is produced by Funny or Die, so Weird is an absolute acquired taste, but, if you have it, you’re only going to have a blast with this film. It’s obvious that this cast, stacked with all kinds of comedic talent, clearly did in the making.

L-R: Spencer Treat Clark as Steve, Tommy O’Brien as Bermuda, Daniel Radcliffe as Al Yankovic, and Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento in WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. Photo courtesy of Roku.

Look, it’s great to be able to stream our entertainment. It was sold to us as the highest example of convenience *and* it helps reduce the clutter of our homes. Except anything digital doesn’t belong to you and may not necessarily be accessible when you want to watch it. This is something that I wrote about in my Master’s thesis, but you need only go to earlier this week (as of this writing) when Sony sent out messages to PlayStation users that any television show they purchased from Discovery Video is being pulled from the service with no refunds. Sure, you paid money for it and it is in your library, but it’s really a long-term, one-time rental fee. Even originals made for streaming services are being removed with no notice as to whether they are being rotated out with an unknown return date or just being discarded entirely. This could happen with Weird as a Roku Original, so one shouldn’t take for granted its easy accessibility. So, if you’re any kind of Yankovic fan and you like the film, whether you get Weird on Day One or wait for a sale, the release from Shout! is an easy recommendation between the bonus materials and on-disc presentation to make.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Special Features:

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

• *NEW* 4K Master with HDR and Dolby Vision Presentation
• *NEW* Audio Commentary with Al Yankovic and director Eric Appel (1:47:30)

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

• *NEW* Audio Commentary with Al Yankovic and director Eric Appel (1:47:30)
• *NEW* Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes Hosted by Al Yankovic and Eric Appel (24:40)
• The Making Of Weird (3:58)
• Late Night with Seth Meyers Interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Daniel Radcliffe (10:18)
• IMDb.com “A Plethora of Cameos” (2:07)
• Variety.com interview with Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, and Eric Appel at The Toronto International Film Festival (8:00)
• TheWrap.com Interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Eric Appel (3:52)
• Lyric Video – “Now You Know” (5:21)
• Movie Promos (1:55)
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer

Available to stream on The Roku Channel November 4^th, 2022.
Available on digital November 10^th, 2023.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD from Shout! Studios December 12^th, 2023.

For more information, head to the official Shout! Studios Weird: The Al Yankovic Story webpage.

Final Score: 4 out of 5.

Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming

Tags: 4K UHD, action, Akiva Schaffer, Arturo Castro, biography, comedy, Conan O'Brien, Daniel Radcliffe, David Bloom, David Dastmalchian, Demetri Martin, Diedrich Bader, Dot-Marie Jones, drama, Ear Booker Productions, Emo Philips, Eric Appel, Evan Rachel Wood, Famous Andy's, Funny or Die, home release, home video, Jack Black, Jack Lancaster, Johnny Pemberton, Jonah Ray, Jorma Taccone, Josh Groban, Julianne Nicholson, Julie Chang, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael McKean, Nina West, parody, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, Quinta Brunson, Rainn Wilson, Richard Aaron Anderson, Roku Original, satire, Scott Aukerman, Seth Green, Shout! Studios, Spencer Treat Clark, Tango Entertainment, The Roku Channel, Thomas Lennon, Toby Huss, Tommy O'Brien, Weird Al Yankovic, Will Forte