“It would be WEIRD if you didn’t watch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
Sorry, I’m just trying to get a pull quote on the poster for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a tongue-in-cheek biography about song parody icon “Weird Al” Yankovic. In the Roku Channel original movie, he’s played by Daniel Radcliffe, who shares his dream in the hilarious trailer above: “My whole life, all I wanted is to make up new words to a song that already exists.” That polka-filled origin story eventually leads to “My Bologna” and “The Saga Begins” and “White and Nerdy,” as well as originals like “Christmas at Ground Zero” and “Albuquerque” (where’s Weird Al’s statue, huh?).
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story also stars Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento (who calls “Weird Al” the “future of music”), Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey, and Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna. “Is that song autobiographical?” “Weird Al” asks Madonna about “Like a Virgin.” Yes, she responds, “except for the fact that I’ve had a lot of sex.” Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is the Walk Hard of polka biopics, and I, for one, cannot wait.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Daniel Radcliffe is “Weird” Al Yankovic in the unexaggerated true story about the greatest musician of our time. From a conventional upbringing where playing the accordion was a sin, Al rebelled and made his dream of changing the words to world-renowned songs come true. An instant success and sex symbol, Al lives an excessive lifestyle and pursues an infamous romance that nearly destroys him. With Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, and an A-list cast of thousands their agents won’t let us reveal.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story comes to the Roku Channel on Friday, November 4.