Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

A surprisingly enjoyable "film" that reminded me a lot of 'Private Parts' from 1997, about the story of Howard Stern's rise to prominence in the 1980s. Besides sharing the same decade in which they made their mark, this also shares the same spirit of presenting an unconventional type of biography, and in the case of 'Weird,' they take it much, much further. Meaning, is the story we're being told here even real? Obviously much of it isn't. It's embellished, it's absurd, it's hilarious, but purposefully blurring the line between fact and fiction is part of the fun, and it's not weird to the point where that line blurring is hard to detect. It's very clear, and most of the time it works.

It this a great film? No. The chance that Al Yankovic is going to suddenly delve into making a serious bio pic was non-existent. He had to stay on brand here, and let his sense of humor drive the picture just as it drove his music career, and that's what makes this a good film overall. There are for sure moments where I stared at the screen, bored from searching for the humor. Or cringing from it really, but there's also moments that are really, really funny, and smartly played, and just very fun.

If you don't get a chance to catch this, what I'd say is, don't sweat it. But if you're scrolling through the offerings, looking to laugh more than anything (not necessarily looking to catch up on the life of "Weird Al"), and this one pops up - more than likely you'll get those laughs you're desiring, and have a little bit of fun in the meantime. Like most of Weird Al's "work," it's silly, funny, inoffensive, and a strange sort of safe place.