Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Weird Als the Musical Biopic
ByRebecca Alter,
a staff writer who covers comedy and pop culture
He’s weird. He’s a weirdo.
Photo: Aaron Epstein
Yer a wizard, Yankovic. Daniel Radcliffe has magically transformed into beloved musical parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic in the trailer and official poster for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. “You will never find true happiness until you can truly accept who you are,” Radcliffe says in the parody of musical biopics. The preview of the upcoming Roku original sees the former Harry Potter star sporting a mustache and curly hair while wearing Yankovic’s signature aviator frames and colorful shirts. We get a glimpse of a shirtless Radcliffe onstage, chugging and spitting a drink into the air as the crowd cheers. And yes, he does don the blue scrubs for that “Like a Surgeon” Madonna parody we’ve been waiting for. Directed by Eric Appel, the film bills itself as the “untold true story” of Yankovic’s rise to fame.
Okay, where’s the trailer?
Produced by Funny or Die and Tango, Roku’s biopic bills follows Yankovic’s rise, from his early hit songs to his “torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.” According to Variety, the production is more of a scripted mockumentary that pokes fun at tropes in “self-important” biopics. There is even an Oprah Winfrey interview, with the famed TV host played by Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson. See for yourself in the trailer, below.
What’s the cast looking like?
Photo: Aaron Epstein/Roku
Aside from Daniel Radcliffe and Quinta Brunson, the movie’s pretty stacked. But you know what else the it is? A convenient little shortcut for Evan Rachel Wood. While Julia Garner, Sydney Sweeney, and Barbie Ferreira reportedly duked it out to play Madonna in the pop star’s biopic, Wood found a way to cut the line … kind of. As Rolling Stone firstreported in March, she is playing Madonna in Roku’s film. A first-look photo showed Wood in her best Desperately Seeking Susanjush wearing an expression that says, “Who’s got two thumbs sticking out of fingerless gloves? Evan Rachel effing Wood, that’s who.” Suck it, Euphoriacast. Of course, a Weird Al biopic can’t be confined to just a few buzzy roles. There’s a whole slew of cameos peppered in throughout the movie: Will Forte, Conan O’Brien, Jack Black, Nina West, Patton Oswalt, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Weird Al himself as Tony Scotti, the president of real-life Scotti Brothers Records. So weird, it just works.
Photo: RokuOriginal
Is Weird Al on the soundtrack?
Ask, and you shall receive. The real-life Weird Al penned a brand-new song for the occasion, “Now You Know,” which appears at the movie’s end credits. Over a roaring back track punctuated by a chorus and thunderous horns, the musician reassures us that everything you saw was the absolute, honest-to-God, facts — pinky promise. “No fabrications,” he sings. “No exaggerations / It’s the gospel truth!”
How can you stream Weird: The Al Yankovic Story?
Photo: Roku
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story premieres on the Roku Channel on November 4, and the poster would like to remind you that it is, in fact, free. It shows an image of Radcliffe as Al facing the Hollywood sign, his hair awash in sunlight, turning him into the angel of polka that he is. With the rhinestones on his jacket and his little tushy facing us, it’s like the Elvis movie we deserved. But even if you don’t have Roku device, you can watch Radcliffe in action by creating a free account on the Roku Channel website on your browser or on any device where you can download the Roku Channel app.
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