|
|
|
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (3rd June 2023). |
|
The Film
 "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" (2022) Al Yankovic (played by Daniel Radcliffe) went against his conservative factory working father (played by Toby Huss) to go into a career with music in a specifically niche form. Armed with an accordion and with a love for changing lyrics of existing songs for comedic value, the young college kid rises to stardom quickly by his reinterpretations of songs by The Knack, Joan Jett, Queen and more, hitting the top of the pop charts. With the aid of his childhood idol and radio DJ mentor Dr. Demento (played by Rainn Wilson) and the support of Scotti Brothers Records head Tony Scotti (played by Al Yankovic himself), things are bright for the young musician. But with fame and fortune comes consequences, such as the toxic relationship with pop superstar Madonna (played by Evan Rachel Wood) trying to reshape his career for her own stardom, drug lord Pablo Escobar (played by Arturo Castro) being obsessed with Al's music, as well as alcohol and drugs affecting his life, friendships, and music towards a downward spiral. Weird Al Yankovic has been synonymous with American pop culture from the 1980s to the present day with his unique comedic style of parodying songs as well as a likeable and quirky persona that has led him to have a prolific and successful career in music as well as in television. With multiple gold and platinum albums over the years and his parody songs also having a "Yankovic Bump" on the original versions of songs becoming even bigger hits, many artists were eager to have Weird Al parody one of their songs as a sign of "making it" in the music world. His work was not particularly huge outside North America, as changed lyrics and comedy music didn't particularly translate to non-English language markets. The 1989 feature film "U.H.F." was his attempt at bringing his comedic form to movie screens, but it was unfortunately a flop, grossing only $6 million on a $5 million budget. While it is looked upon as a cult classic today, it deterred Weird Al from pursuing more work in filmmaking. In 2010, he collaborated on a short for Funny or Die, which was a fake movie trailer for "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story", a star-studded short featuring Aaron Paul, Olivia Wilde, Patton Oswalt and more, it took inspiration from many music biopics and took many liberties with the truth as biopics tend to do. The short, directed by Eric Appel was a surprise hit and many were hoping that the fake trailer would end up becoming an actual feature, similar to how "Machete" (2010) was produced. More than a decade would pass until that would happen, with Weird Al and Appel looking to revisit the project in a full length form. Rather than the conventional style of writing a screenplay from scratch, they instead had to take apart the sequences seen in the fake trailer and write sequences that would bridge them together. This also meant going into Weird Al's personal life and stories in the timeline, but as the 2010 trailer showcased, not everything had to be particularly true. Since he was the king of parody songs, it would not make sense if his biopic was straightforward. With many recent acclaimed music biopic features such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Rocketman", "Straight Outta Compton", "Get on Up" and others having twists in reality to fit the dramatic angle with also having approval from the musicians and their families, it only seemed natural that Weird Al's biography would be...off the deep end, to quote an album title. Not everything from the original fake trailer made it into the feature film. Most of the sequences are recreated, though the scene of Al in prison and his father coming to console him has been changed entirely. So even people that were fans of the original will have some surprises as well. The feature film version would have a casting overhaul with almost everyone being recast. The only person to retain the same role was Al Yankovic himself, playing Tony Scotti though with a more conservative look in comparison to the fake trailer. Patton Oswalt who played Dr. Demento in the original version was planning to return in the role, though a foot injury meant it had to be recast. Oswalt did play a cameo role in the feature. The fake trailer's Al which was played by Aaron Paul was also going to play a cameo in the feature, though he was brought down with COVID-19 and his role had to be cut. Radcliffe was an interesting choice to play the lead role of Al Yankovic and he plays the character with grace and awkwardness that fits the persona. He is able to handle the comedic moments as well as the dramatic and musical sequences very well, though it should be noted that he is not vocally performing the songs as they are using the real Weird Al's voice, all re-recorded for the film version. Sporting the 'fro, the 'stache, and the Hawaiian shirts, Radcliffe who looks nothing like Weird Al takes on the persona perfectly in this role. A lot of times Radcliffe does not perform the role with comedy, but in a more serious tone surprisingly, with the surrounding scenarios making things slightly off center. (In addition Richard Aaron Anderson and David Bloom play the child and teenage versions of Al respectively.) While in reality, Weird Al's only encounter with Madonna lasted only a forty-five seconds back in 1985, in this biopic she is the leading femme fatale who tries to influence Al by seducing him and trying to get him to record a parody of her work to boost her sales. Evan Rachel Wood is also excellent in the role, also playing the role with sexual tension and lust rather than deadpan comedy. The relationship between Weird Al and Madonna is one of many extreme exaggerations in the film. His interview with Oprah Winfrey (played by Quinta Brunson) did in fact happen, but the MTV Cribs style moments with her were clearly not. Weird Al deciding to stop making parody songs and focusing on original material, including the smash hit "Eat It", which in turn was parodied by Michael Jackson as "Beat It" is also taking liberties with the truth of the matter. Weird Al being considered to take over the 007 and Indiana Jones franchises were not even close to rumors. There are numerous references to other biopics, such as Jim Morrison's infamous drunken on-stage performance leading to his arrest which was showcased in the biopic "The Doors". Without spoilers, the ending which has similarities to scenes in "Carrie" and "Creepshow" are obviously twisting the truth to the extreme. Though the film may be marketed as being a 100% truthful retelling of Weird Al Yankovic's life, the film sits much closer to being as truthful as "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story", which took inspiration from every major musical icon of the twentieth century and blended it into one bizarre story. If they had produced the Weird Al biopic in 2010, it would have been too close to "Walk Hard" and ripe for comparisons being unoriginal. There are a lot of moments that have similarities between the two films, such as the record executive nodding their heads way too quickly and the obvious parody moments, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" is able to keep things consistent and slightly tapping the truth, rather than completely making fun of it. Like "Walk Hard", there are numerous cameo appearances throughout. From comedians like Conan O'Brien, Will Forte, Michael McKean, and Jack Black, to composer Lin-Manuel Miranda and singer Josh Groban, there are quite a number of faces playing historical figures throughout the feature. There are also similarities to "Miles Ahead", the Miles Davis biopic that was basically a heist film with only a hint of truth to the story. As stated by Miles' family, he would have loved to see a wacky and insane feature on his life rather than a boring retelling of what actually happened during his so-called late 70s "hermit" years. The same goes for Weird Al, as his clean-cut non-scandalous life would not have been that interesting to see as there were no major ups and downs like the stereotypical fame-caught musician would have had. Produced on a fairly small budget of $8 million, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" was first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8th, 2022 with positive reactions, and was released direct to streaming on The Roku Channel in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, the three countries where Roku is available. In Australia, Umbrella Entertainment has the distribution rights and it is available to watch via streaming on a number of platforms including Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play. Umbrella has also given the film its worldwide debut on home media, with a release on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UltraHD Blu-ray formats. While the film does have a lot of laughs and fun, it sometimes doesn't have the punch of originality as there have been so many music biopics and parody films over the years. Weird Al has certainly made his name as the king of parody in the music world, and the film delivers in entertainment value. Just don't use the film as reference to update information on Weird Al's Wikipedia biography. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with SDR. Shot digitally in 6K and mastered in 4K, this native 4K release is as pristine as expected, with a very colorful palate through the various locations and wardrobe for a bright look throughout. Detail is sharp, colors are bold and natural, and there is basically nothing to fault. Despite being on a 4K format, there is no HDR available and only having standard dynamic range color space. Yet it is still absolutely pleasing to watch with this transfer. The film's runtime is 107:23.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo Both 5.1 and 2.0 stereo options are available in lossless form. Music cues obviously play a major part with the feature being a music biopic, and the 5.1 track does not disappoint. Dialogue is always centered while surrounding channels are effective with the music and effects, being well balanced throughout. Concert sequences, explosions, and gunfire sound excellent without being overbearing, and like the picture is free from defects. An excellent job with the audio presentation. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the feature in a white font, captioning all dialogue and song lyrics. There are a few moments in Spanish that have burned-in yellow subtitles on screen. Interestingly when the subtitle track is turned on, both the burned-in yellow subtitles and the white English HoH subtitles appear on screen at the same time, though not overlapping each other.
Extras
An introduction by Weird Al (0:12) A short introduction by the man himself which also appears on the Roku streaming version. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Behind the Scenes" featurette (3:56) An all too brief promo for the film featuring interviews with Appel, Radcliffe, and Yankovic giving some soundbites along with clip from the film. It is a basic EPK featurette so there is nothing particularly in depth to be found. The featurette is also embedded below, courtesy of the Roku Channel's YoyTube channel. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 2.39:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Theatrical Trailer (2:43) The original trailer is presented here. It has been embedded below, courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 2.39:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Sadly, that's it for on disc extras. No exclusives, no in-depth interviews or making-ofs, not even the original Funny or Die fake trailer is available here. Within the film there are glimpses of the "Eat It" music video, which was not a recreation, but using the original music video and superimposing Radcliffe digitally. For the digital effect, the original 16mm film negative of the music video that Weird Al had was scanned in 4K and reedited to match the original music video's timing. The complete music video in its restored form is available on Weird Al's YouTube channel and since it cannot be embedded, it is available here in this link. Other notable clips: The original Funny or Die fake trailer. Oprah Winfrey interviewing Yankovic in 1984. Weird Al "interviewing" Madonna in 1985. Again, Weird Al "interviewing" Madonna on AL-TV. Extended interview with Yankovic promoting the film on The Tonight Show. Interview with Radcliffe promoting the film on The Tonight Show. Radcliffe and Yankovic promoting the film on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a standard 4K black keep case. The inlay is reversible, with the only difference being the opposite side lacking the "M" rating logo. It was also available in a Collector's Edition which was limited to 500 copies and available exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop which also includes: - Double sided poster - "Getting Weird - The Story of Weird" 48 page perfect bound book - 8 Artcards - Hard slipbox Tucked in the keep case is a double sided poster for the film. While the featurette did not go deep into the making-of, the booklet is actually quite informative, having quotes from the cast and crew on development of the film, from the transition of trailer to feature, the casting choices, the locations, costume designs, and more. There are also promotional stills, comparison photos of the actors and their real life counterparts, and more. The artcards are promotional stills from the film. The keep case, cards, and booklet slide perfectly in the hard slipbox. 
There is also a "Get Weird" Collector's Edition which is limited to 500 copies and also exclusively available at the Umbrella Web Shop. This release has all the collectibles above, plus a 100% Rayon Custom Pattern Hawaiian Shirt. Note that both of the above collector's editions have already sold out.
Overall
"Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" is a wild and crazy biopic that has a lot of laughs, and takes the idea of the "truthful" music biopics of recent memory to a new level of insanity. Whatever people thought they knew about Weird Al and his life and music will be surprised as it twists every detail and makes it something completely different. While it may tread on some convention, it is still a fun ride all the way. Umbrella Entertainment's 4K release is excellent in presentation, though the extras on disc are a bit underwhelming. Still comes as recommended.
|
|||||
|