Grove City Messenger - November 13th, 2022

www.columbusmessenger.com November 13, 2022 - GROVE CITY MESSENGER - PAGE 17
In Entertainment
“Weird: e Al Yankovic Story” is endlessly enjoyable
The parodist songwriter Al Yankovic is
the subject of a new biopic. And yes, it is as
weird as you might imagine it to be.
Co-written by the loveable goof who rose
to fame in the late 1970s by turning pop
classics such as The Knacks’ “My Sharona”
and Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”
into comedic gold with an ode to questionable
lunch meat in “My Bologna” and a
lament on public transportation in
“Another One Rides the Bus,” “Weird: The
Al Yankovic Story” is anything but a traditional
account of the life of the man who
only ever wanted to make up new words to
songs that already existed.
Taken at face value, Al Yankovic makes
a terrible subject for a biopic. By his own
admission, his parents were fully supportive
of his wild dreams, he abstained from
alcohol and drugs throughout his entire
career, and he did not engage in public
fisticuffs with artists who may have initially
been a little sore that he lovingly lampooned
their creations. But in this film
however, Al Yankovic does what Al
Yankovic does best: he turns his completely
normal and sweet and square life into
something entirely different, something
dark and gritty and, frankly, more befitting
of a traditional biopic of a creative
genius.
The end result may be a little out there
for some, but “Weird: The Al Yankovic
Story” is a wonderful — and wonderfully
funny — homage to the man who has
brought so much joy to the world through
his creative stupidity.
Daniel Radcliffe stars as the man of the
decades, an aspiring parody songwriter
news and notes
SWCSEF benefit concert series
The South-Western City Schools
Educational Foundation will host a benefit
concert series. The first concert will feature
the district’s honor choir and honor orchestra.
It will start at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at
Central Crossing High School, 4500 Big
Run South Road in Grove City. The second
concert will feature the district’s honor
band and the Grove City Community
Winds. It will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at
Central Crossing High School. Tickets are
$10 for adults and $5 for children and can
be purchased at the door. Funds raised will
be used for student scholarships and educational
grants. For more information,
visit swcsef.org or looks up the foundation’s
Facebook page.
Blood drives in Grove City
The American Red Cross will host several
blood drives in Grove City. It includes:
•Nov. 22 from 12 to 6 p.m. at St John’s
Lutheran Church, 3220 Columbus Street
•Nov. 22 from 12 to 6 p.m. at First
Baptist Church, 3301 Orders Road
whose parents do not believe in him. His
mother (Julianne Nicholson) worries about
where he will go in life when she finds
Hawaiian shirts tucked away in his bed
like a naughty magazine, and his father
(Toby Huss) is too busy at his factory job to
pay attention to his son and his outlandish
dreams where he becomes not technically
the best but arguably the most famous
accordion player in an extremely specific
genre of music.
After years of hiding all of his musical
talents — both at the accordion and with
making up new lyrics to songs that already
exist — “Alfie” finally has enough of their
dream dampening behavior and sets off
with his glorious hair and his gloriously
colorful Hawaiian shirts to make a name
for himself in the music industry.
At first, the industry wants nothing to
do with him and his ability to create new
lyrics from songs that already exist. They
feel it is too unoriginal, too boring, too
niche, too reliant on the accordion. But
when the famed Dr. Demento (Rainn
Wilson) takes him under his wing, Al
Yankovic finally starts to fly high. And
then he starts to get high too, eventually
becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol at
the influence of pop sensation Madonna
(Evan Rachel Wood) who has her own ideas
for how his story should go. Shortly after
(very shortly after), he has a falling out
with his band — “you’re all a bunch of normals,”
he shouts at them — gets into a public
spat with Michael Jackson who parodied
his hit single “Eat It,” and runs afoul
of the leader of a notorious cartel.
Needless to say that there is a lot going
•Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Drury
Inn & Suites Grove City, 4109 Parkway
Centre Drive
• Nov. 26 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mount
Carmel Grove City, 5300 North Meadows
Drive
•Nov. 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
Grove City Library, 3959 Broadway
To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-
448-3543 or visit www.redcrossblood.org.
Tax-Aide volunteers needed
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, which had
to scale back operations at the Grove City
Church of the Nazarene because of the
pandemic, hopes to return to full strength
next tax season and is looking for volunteers.
Volunteers come from all walks of life,
from accountants to warehouse workers.
No experience is required. Tax-Aide provides
training, a computer to work on and
mentorship throughout the tax season.
For more information, go to aarpfoundation.org/taxaidevolunteer
or call 1-888-
227-7669.
on in “Weird,” but it completely works if
you allow yourself to succumb to the wackiness
within this “100 percent true, not at
all made-up movie” about Al Yankovic’s
rapid rise to fame and equally fast downfall
and nearly instantaneous recovery and
immediate tragic ending.
Admittedly, it might be hard for some to
succumb to the wackiness that abounds
within this film, but what may help sell the
material is the fact that the cast takes it
seriously. Chances are if you liked “This is
Spinal Tap,” “Zoolander,” or “Wet Hot
American Summer,” you will enjoy this
because it was filmed and acted in the
same vein as those comedy classics. It has
that same spirit and is delivered with the
same amount of love for these characters
by the actors, especially Radcliffe. He is
just a joy to behold in this film where he
alternates seamlessly between earnest
dreamer at the start of his career and
vicious frontman a la Jim Morrison during
one of his most famed concert performances.
From start to finish, “Weird: The Al
Yankovic Story” is highly engaging and
entertaining. Jokes come hard and fast and
they range from silly slapstick gags to
pointed references with punchlines that
pay off down the line. It’s the kind of film
that begs rewatching
to catch all of the
references and sight
gags, and to fully
appreciate the jokes
that age with time.
Unfortunately,
this film is currently
being streamed only on the Roku Channel
(it is also available on their website) and
unfortunately it will likely stay only on the
Roku Channel. But if you can find a way to
view this movie through that free ad-based
streaming service, I highly encourage you
to do so. Like the man and his work, it will
bring a smile to your face, warmth to your
soul, and a genuine sense of puzzlement for
finding something so absurd so endlessly
enjoyable.
Grade: A-
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff
writer and columnist.
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