The biopic craze has come for the King of Polka himself.
If you’ve lived on this Earth for any period of time, you’ve definitely heard of Weird Al Yankovic. Known far and wide for his song parodies, the singer is getting his very own biopic. Weird Al has been in the game for nearly 40 years, and although his songs are comedy-based, he has earned some serious accolades, including five Grammy Awards. In any case, any movie about Weird Al is likely to be just that: weird.
The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, who is best known for his role as the title character in the “Harry Potter” movie franchise, but has also had roles in lesser films such as “Swiss Army Man,” “The Lost City,” and “Imperium.” Other cast members include Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson. The movie itself does not appear, at least from the trailer, to follow the true definition of a “biopic,” but instead will be, to no surprise, a parody of that genre. The teaser features dramatic and satirical moments woven between slapstick comedy bits, creating the exact opposite kind of film we saw in Baz Lurhmann’s “Elvis” earlier this summer.
There’s a lot to know about Weird Al, but what might surprise you most is that his most popular film, “UHF,” was filmed right here in Tulsa. Executive producer Gray Fredrickson, having previously worked on “The Outsiders,” opted to return to the area due to low production cost and ideal filming locations. A number of buildings downtown were used in the production, such as the OETA recording studio, Joey’s House of the Blues on East 61st Street, and First Christian Church on Boulder Avenue.
The actual plot of “UHF” appears to be quite… elusive. Yankovic plays George Newman, a dreamer type who comes to find himself in charge of a television station. As a result of his leadership, the station, predictably, falls on hard times and turns to a telethon to sell off its shares. Critics complained of a lack of characterization in the film, but Yankovic and other writers argued that because the film was supposed to mainly focus on parody sequences dreamed up by the main character, more plot development was unnecessary. The movie was mildly successful, making $6.1 million at the box office after having a budget of $5 million. As it turns out, Tulsa can count Weird Al among those who have found success on its streets.
Since “UHF,”Yankovic has continued touring with both his parodies and other, more polka-based songs. Having made appearances on several popular sitcoms, Weird Al has continued to stay a comedic presence in popular culture. This new movie will surely not be the last exploit of his career, but if it turns out to be, it seems like he’d be going out with a bang. The film, entitled “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is making its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival November 4, and will then be available to stream on The Roku Channel.
