Rating: 4.0

Over the past few years, the biopic genre has slowly become saturated with films on influential musicians — “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” and “Elvis,” to name a few. Music and film lovers are becoming engrossed in the biopic trend, excitedly waiting for what features come next; however, the newest addition to this genre definitely is a weird one. On Nov. 4, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” directed by Eric Appel and starring Daniel Radcliffe, was released.

The film takes an emerging niche within the biopic genre and flips it on its head. While the film is seemingly styled as if it is based on a true story, the majority is made up. Throughout the runtime, Radcliffe experiences incredibly exaggerated grief, alcoholism, abusive relationships, fame and a run-in with fabled kingpin Pablo Escobar. “Weird” Al Yankovic became famous for making parody songs, and his film seemingly follows the recipe to a T. The film constantly switches between being a musical, a drama and even an action movie toward the end, which helps accentuate the bizarreness Yankovic sought to display. 

Alongside the wacky escapades that ensue throughout the film’s runtime, there is a surprisingly large all-star cast, including actors such as Rainn Wilson, Jack Black, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Will Forte, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Rachel Wood and Conan O’Brien. For a film that may fly under the average person’s radar, it seems like everyone in Hollywood wanted a part in its making. 

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is an exciting, fresh and funny take on the traditional biography. Yankovic’s comedic writing for the film shined to the point where one could not predict what outlandish event would occur or which celebrity would be made fun of next. If you are a lover of comedy, music, musicals or, oddly enough, “Weird” Al Yankovic, this is a great watch, and you will be glued to the screen for the entirety of its one-hour and 47-minute runtime. 

As of Nov. 4, 2022, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is streaming for free on The Roku Channel.