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Daniel Radcliffe’s new comedy Weird: The Al Yankovic story is now out, and if the reviews are anything to go by, it needs to be on your watch list. Co-written by Weird Al himself, the movie is a (very) loose biopic of the parody singer’s rise to fame.
It begins with how Weird Al developed his love of the accordion as it takes us through his discovery by Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson) and Madonna’s (Evan Rachel Wood) support as he climbs the ladder of success. If it’s not already clear, don’t expect fidelity in Eric Appels’ movie which twists the truth for comic effect
How to watch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a streaming-only release so viewers will not be able to see it on the big screen. The only place to watch it, wherever you are based, is on The Roku Channel.
The Roku Channel is a streaming service, which is available on Roku devices. You can also download the app on Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, and iOS and Android mobile devices. Probably the best news of all though is that it’s absolutely free as The Roku Channel is funded by ads. Access the channel here for US, here for UK.
What the critics are saying about Weird
Reviews have been good and the film currently sits at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. On the Inside Total Film podcast, we called it a fun time and one of the best releases of the week – and considering it's going up again Living, The Wonder, and Enola Holmes 2, that's a huge success. Listen to our review here.
"Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a light and amusing romp very in much in tune with the dorky-and-proud aesthetic that has made its subject an unlikely household name," writes Vanity Fair’s Jordan Hoffman. NME’s Alex Flood says it is "loads of fun, and often very funny, this is the perfect antidote to modern popstar blockbusters."
Radcliffe has also been getting plenty of praise for his performance too. "Radcliffe is winningly guileless in his performance," adds The New York Times's Amy Nicholson, "twitching his costume-y eyebrows and mustache like gentle bunny ears even as he lip-syncs 'Another One Rides the Bus' with such commitment that his neck veins nearly pop."
While Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt notes: "The movie's celebrity whack-a-mole makes for a good drinking game, no doubt, but Radcliffe still has to carry most of the story, as gleefully careening and surreal as it is. And he commits admirably to the movie's full-tilt concept, conjuring a bizarro-world Al both brash and endearingly sincere."
For more new releases, check out our list of the best upcoming movies in 2022 and beyond.
