Millennials have a deep and profound love of Weird Al Yankovic because we grew up listening to his parodies of popular songs. To this day, I can still sing every word to “The Saga Begins, Yankovic’s parody of “American Pie” for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Will I ever forget this song? Probably not, and that’s the power of Yankovic’s music, so it is no surprise that the trailer for WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story dropped and instantly reminded me why we love Weird Al as a performer.
The comedian who changed the lyrics to popular music to whatever he wanted (“Amish Paradise” was a hit growing up in Western Pennsylvania) became a massive success and did things like “Like a Surgeon” to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” or “Eat It” to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” and in some cases, wound up a version of a song that rivaled the original. (Again, I know “The Saga Begins” so well that when I had to answer a question about “American Pie” by Don McLean, I struggled to remember the actual lyrics.)
Now, with the trailer for the Roku Channel’s WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, we get to see just how this film starring Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al is shaping up, and boy oh boy is it better than I could have even hoped. Much like the world of Weird Al, the trailer feels like a parody for the music biopics of recent years, and honestly, if that isn’t the perfect move for a movie about Weird Al, I don’t know what is!
The film was written by Eric Appel and “Weird Al” Yankovic himself and is directed by Appel, as well. The description from the press release reads as follows: “Daniel Radcliffe is ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him.”
First, yes, that is Weird Al being a music executive. Second, I am obsessed with Madonna taking Weird Al out to party. This film seems to just fit perfectly in with the persona that Weird Al brought to the world and is also just a great look at music biopics and how they function for the artists and the stories they’re telling. And who better to break that down than the parody man himself?
Who is this movie for?
Short answer: people like me. Longer answer: millennials who grew up loving Weird Al but didn’t know about his rise to fame and what happened to continue his musical journey. It’s for us. Weird Al hasn’t stopped making music and he’s still incredibly famous, but it isn’t the same as when I was a kid growing up and knowing his parody versions of these songs almost better than the originals.
So to my fellow millennials, our time has come. We must rally behind the story of the man who brought us such joy and see Daniel Radcliffe bring Weird Al to life. The film hits the Roku Channel on Friday, November 4, 2022, and I can’t wait.
(featured image: The Roku Channel)
