One of the very best films of 2022, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story makes its home video debut with a STACKED 4K UHD Collector’s Edition thanks to Shout Studios.
The Film
Award Season is upon us. All the prestige pictures are being prepped for their marathon run to the end of the line. Social Dramas. Costume Dramas. Of course, the most sortied or awarded fodder … the Bio-Pic. Even more sortied-er (is that a word) is the Musical Bio-Pic. In fact, back in 2022, there were multiple. In 2023 there are just as many – we see you Bradley Cooper and those make-up appliances trying to go for Oscar Gold!
Ballyhoo and hogwash.
The only Award Seasons Contender that matters. The only Musical Bio-Pic you should have seen last fall, or any fall for the next hundred years is the one about Mr. Alfred Matthew Yankovic aka “Weird Al” Yankovic. WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY is everything you’ve ever wanted in a Bio-Pic and more!
Tracing the humble origins of Al (Daniel Radcliffe) from a troubled home life – what musical genius doesn’t have a troubled home life – to closeted Polka Musician to instant Superstardom to the romance with Pop Icon Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood) to his descent into Alcoholism to his reemergence to greater heights taking on Pablo Escobar (Art Castro). Aided or helped or destroyed by various (in)famous figures of the time like Oprah (Quinta Brunson), Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson), Hulk Hogan (James Preston Rogers), and others you will definitely recognize. All of this – incredibly true account – done with the music by the man himself featuring his greatest hits “My Bologna”, “Eat it”, “Like a Surgeon” and “Amish Paradise”.
Like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and Spinal Tap, WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY takes its place in the Patheon of Bio-Pic Satires. Though unlike the former three, Weird is not only a satire but actually about a real-life figure. What started life as a short film from Writer/Director Eric Appel takes the ingenious short and turns it into a living and breathing full-length feature.
Appel’s film is steeped in the visual style of the Bio-Pic – with great visual references to the most legendary of the time. It also the rise and fall of a star narrative used by so many fictional and non-fictional films – we see you A Star is Born. However, this would all be an exercise in futility if the film did not work as a whole cohesive story not just a long line of sight gags and visual references.
It does succeed, on the highest possible level.
WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY creates a heady brew of various genres and sending them up ever so lovingly. A vortex of entertainment and hilarity. At the center, is Daniel Radcliffe, showing that he is both the spiritual embodiment of Yankovic and NOTHING LIKE THE MAN. Playing Yankovic has freed Radcliffe in a way that allows him to be as earnest as he wants as much as he’s allowed to be as goofy as he wants. Charming, buffed out, and willing to do just about anything, Radcliffe has found the perfect role to allow him to go through all the emotions and comedic beats that any star could ask for. What about action, you say? Radcliffe finds himself doing some great moments of action – you’ll have to see the film to understand – that will have people asking, “Could the man who played Harry Potter play Wolverine?” (The answer is yes, you goofs).
Though not to be outdone by Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood comes in to show us that we only need one person to play Madonna. Wood approaches this incarnation of Madonna with the same level of complexity and subtlety as she does with any of her other performances. Madonna in her hands is a bored femme fatale who wants nothing more than to be the most powerful person in the world with Al by her side. The most impressive aspect of Wood’s performance is her nailed-down voice of the Lucky Star singer. Rather than go cartoonish with it, smartly Wood has perfected Mads’ voice circa the mid-1980s. Don’t believe it… listen to Madonna’s interview with Dick Clark in 1984 and tells me that Wood doesn’t nail it – pun COMPLETELY intended.
Before you step into a theater and see that huge glossy biopic about that singer or musician … stop and treat yourself to a true slice of happiness. This biopic may not be the most accurate depiction of its subject’s life but what WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY lacks in accuracy it more than makes up for in entertainment.
The Transfer
The 4K Master with NEW HDR and Dolby Vision Presentation that Shout Studios has created may be one of the best transfers in recent memory. The luminous image’s color spectrum is as deep and wide as one would hope for on all current releases. From beginning to end the UHD is reference quality in every respect. There is nothing that the transfer cannot handle. From the low-lit interiors of the various clubs and stadiums, Al plays or the various daytime scenes like the Cameo-filled Dr. Demento Pool Party scene here remain consistently free of any sort of ghosting or artifacting. Bravo to Shout who continues to release amazing 4K content be it new or catalogue titles.
The Extras
They include the following;
- NEW Audio Commentary with Al Yankovic and Director Eric Appel
- NEW Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes Hosted by Al Yankovic and Eric Appel
- Movie Promos
- Featurette on the Making of Weird
- Late Night with Seth Meyers Interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Daniel Radcliffe
- IMDb.com “A Plethora of Cameos”
- Variety.com Interview with Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, and Eric Appel at the Toronto International Film Festival
- TheWrap.com Interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Eric Appel
- Lyric Video – “Now You Know”
- Trailers
The all-new Audio Commentary with Al Yankovic and Director Eric Appel opens with a discussion about the narration done by Dietrich Bader aka Batman. Some of the other details include how they got Lin-Manuel Miranda and his casting; how they scored the film and the references / temp tracks they used from very famous 90s Blockbusters; the filming locations in Pomona CA; the shooting schedule and how long it took; working with and casting of Daniel Radcliffe – including anecdotes from the production; the accordion work that Radcliffe actually did; the fact that Yankovic did record My Bologna in a bathroom – just a different bathroom; Yankovic’s cameo and why he casted himself in the role; the actual real contract that Yankovic signed; filming during the COVID protocol eras; references to PT Anderson’s Boogie Nights; Yankovic re-recording all the songs specifically for the movie; a special note and discussion of David Dashmalchain work as John Deacon from Queen and Quinta Brunson as Oprah; a discussion of Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna; a discussion between the two on if Madonna had actually seen the film; how the action scenes were accomplished in the film; a discussion of the VFX work done for the production and the shortcuts they took; a discussion throughout about the casting/cameo “what if’s”; a discussion throughout about the various cameos and actors that worked in the film; and much more. Yankovic and Appel give an entertaining and informational track that’s well worth your time as they pull the veil back on what it took to make the film. A truly great commentary track.
Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes Hosted by Al Yankovic and Eric Appel (24:39) – Yankovic and Appel give an introduction to each of the deleted and extended scenes. The duo are both funny and informative as they give context to the reason why the scene was cut or cut down. There is a wealth of great material here like the Extended Dinner Table Scene; deleted Hawaiian Shirt scene; Extended Accordion Salesman Scene; Extended Scooty Brothers scene; Extended moments from the Pool Party; extended moments from the Oprah section of the film; Extended moment between Madonna and Al after the Pablo Escobar; and much more. All 20 of the extended/deleted scenes with intro can be accessed by using the Next and Back chapter stops on your remote.
Featurette on the Making of Weird (3:57) – this EPK-style making-of featurette done exactly how Weird Al Yankovic would want it. Featuring comments by director Eric Appel, star Daniel Radcliffe, star Evan Rachel Wood, producer Yankovic, and others.
Late Night with Seth Meyers Interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Daniel Radcliffe (10:18) – the late-night interview has both Star and Producer showing up, showing clips, and telling stories.
IMDb.com “A Plethora of Cameos” (2:07) – featuring Yankovic, actor Rainn Wilson, and director Appel via Zoom discussing the Pool Party scene and all of the cameos.
Variety.com Interview with Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, and Eric Appel at the Toronto International Film Festival (7:59) – in this interview the stars and director discuss the making of the film including things like did Radcliffe sing on set; Yankovic being on set and hand’s on producer; the various cameos; how surreal it was being real superstars; Wood’s technique and working on creating Madonna – and how she approached, which was hilarious; and much more.
TheWrap.com Interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Eric Appel (3:52) – a nice interview where Yankovic and co-writer/director Appel discuss the genesis, writing, production, and style of the film.
Lyric Video – “Now You Know” (5:21) – the end credit sequence song plays with lyrics against visuals that are befitting for any Weird Al project.
Movie Promos (1:54) – four hilarious promotions where Yankovic discusses Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – including the last which was made for the Savannah Film Festival.
Teaser (1:03)
Trailer (2:52)
The Final Thought
Rather than just releasing Weird: The Al Yankovic Story in a standard edition, Shout Studios, has given the film the 4K UHD full-on Special Edition it deserves. Highest Possible Recommendations!!!
Shout Studios’ 4K UHD Edition of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is out December 12th!
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