Weird Al has been in the song parody business for nearly 40 years, and on November 4, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was released on the Roku Channel. The biopic film is being praised for its over-the-top storytelling that bends the truth while also brilliantly capturing the aesthetic of Weird Al.
Celebrity biopics of the past all seem to have things in common. These similarities have come to be known as tropes of the genre, and just as he's parodied music, Weird Al is taking the biopic head-on.
Fact Vs. Fiction
Biopics are notorious for bending the truth. Almost every single film that explores a celebrity's life changes things up to add drama and make it more entertaining. This is the most common and sometimes most frustrating trope in biopics, especially for those who know and appreciate the truth.
Biopics tend to greatly exaggerate or leave out important life moments because people believe it makes for a more enticing watch. Unfortunately, they're not wrong. Weird is almost so far from the truth of Weird Al's life, it could be considered historical fiction. Eric Appel and Al took so much liberty when telling this story. They added some plot threads so ridiculous, audiences are sure to be entertained and laughing the entire time.
Flash-Forward Opening
Starting a film in the center of the plot is a trope commonly used to hook viewers. While many movies and shows do this, recent biopics are infamous for it. For example, Rocketman begins as Elton John is walking into group therapy. Both films start here, then immediately go back to the beginning to provide context for what's going on.
In Weird, this trope is parodied when Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al is rolled through an emergency room, unconscious. Doctors frantically try and resuscitate him, and all of a sudden, he jumps back to life with an idea for a brilliant song parody. This is where the movie stops and cuts back to Al's childhood. This hook leaves viewers concerned and wondering what led up to this moment, but also with an idea of what wild antics they're in for.
Family & Childhood Trauma
Every great artist that’s big enough to get a biopic made about them seems to have some kind of family or childhood struggles that greatly affected their lives. Johnny Cash's childhood trauma in Walk The Line is particularly heartbreaking.
Weird sees Al take verbal abuse from both his parents. While the trauma of the aforementioned musician can in no way be underplayed, Al takes this commonly used celebrity biopic trope and puts his own twist on it. The script has his mother bluntly tell him he shouldn't be himself and has his father overact when the accordion salesman shows up at the door. Weird takes care to avoid diminishing true traumatic experiences, but it's also successful at showing that biopics are not always great at portraying these issues in the most authentic way.
Lip-Syncing
Biography films about singers always face an interesting issue when deciding how they want to do vocals. Sometimes the actor sings every song themselves. Other times, even if the actor is a great vocalist, they may not be asked to provide their voice for songs because the subject of the film has already recorded their music.
Several biopics do this. Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody and Jennifer Lopez in Selena are some of the most well-known examples of the actor lip-syncing to the original music. Daniel Radcliffe can sing, as evidenced by his performance in Harry Potter actor lip-syncing to Weird Al's voice, and the film's not too concerned with making it appear otherwise.
Instant Fame
So many biopics are keen on getting to the celebrity's professional career sooner rather than later, so they skip over several important steps taken to get there. However, doing this will often give the illusion that their fame was instantaneous.
Weird tackles this trope brilliantly. Al comes up with "My Bologna" on the spot, and he quickly records the song. It's not even ten minutes after sending the tape to the radio station when the DJ announces his name and plays the tune. This sequence of events is hilarious, and the reaction from his roommates is priceless. This is potentially one of the best scenes of the entire movie.
Mentor Figure
Not every celebrity is born into a life of fame. Many of them go from living normal working-class lives to being recognized on the street daily once their talent has been realized. Many of these celebrities have a mentor figure to help them through the transition, and several biopics like to capitalize on this fact. Reverend James Cleveland helps Aretha Franklin in Respect while the Colonel mentors Elvis into chaos in the 2022 biopic.
In Weird, Al has Dr. Demento helping him cross bridges in his career and personal life. Demento looks out for the young man, opens doors for him, and disapproves of his girlfriend. The real kicker, however, comes when Dr. Demento asks Al if he can legally adopt him. This pokes fun at how closely these mentors care for their proteges in the films. They sometimes go so far as to be a parental figure in the star's life.
The Toxic Relationship
Several biopics highlight a celebrity’s most toxic relationships, and not all of them are romantic. Unfortunately, so many stars find themselves connecting with such awful people. Elvis explores the nature of the King of Rock 'n Roll's relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The film shows, and it's been claimed by many sources, that the Colonel sent Elvis into a downward spiral that led to his death.
Freddie Mercury and Elton John also had toxic relationships with their respective lovers and managers, as shown in their biopics. Weird decides to use Madonna in this antagonistic role, who only uses Al for the 'bump' his parodies give the original artists in record sales. In real life, behind-the-scenes interviews reveal that Al and Madonna had only ever met once. When the truth is considered, the movie becomes so much better, and a hundred times funnier.
Hitting Rock Bottom
Every biopic explores the good and the bad of a celebrity's life and career. The most memorable parts of the film come when the star is at rock bottom, and they pull themselves out of their funk somehow.
Like Post Malone's "Rockstar" alludes to the dangerous and unhealthy activities rock stars are often known for, Weird takes the behaviors and actions stars often exhibit in biopics that signify rock bottom, and has Radcliffe's Al takes them all on. He smokes, drinks, gets into a toxic relationship, has several public outbursts, crashes his car, and ends up in the ER all in one day. It's a wild series of events that are entirely made up and parodies this trope well.
The Death
Most celebrity biopics are made about people who have ed away, and these films are made to commemorate them and all they've accomplished.
Weird Al is still very much alive, but he and Eric wanted to play into this trope to give the film an ending that was well-suited to the wild story they've told. As a result, they use a hitman hired by Madonna to kill Al off just as he's accepting an award he's always desired. The death is shocking and leaves viewers stifling confused laughter.
Real Photos At End Credits
Almost every biography film about a celebrity, whether they've lost their lives or are still alive and breathing, has a photo montage at the end that shares images of the real person.
The end credits of Weird flip this trope upside down. It's likely the most obvious parody in the film. At first, real photos of Al in his childhood and youth are shown, but as the credits roll, the nice pictures become photo-shopped images of Weird Al in odd situations or with famous people like the late Queen Elizabeth. This sequence is brilliant and gives audiences one last great laugh. Despite its inaccuracies, Weird may turn out to be one of the most successful biopics of all time.
