Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Movie Details:

Country United States
Language English
GenreBiographical, Musical, Parody
Release DateSeptember 8, 2022 (TIFF)
November 4, 2022 (United States)
Running Time1hr 48min
CastDaniel Radcliffe
Evan Rachel Wood
Rainn Wilson
Toby Huss
Julianne Nicholson
Directed by Eric Appel
Written byAl Yankovic
Eric Appel
Produced byMike Farah
Joe Farrell
Whitney Hodack
Tim Headington
Lia Buman
Max Silva
Al Yankovic
Eric Appel
Cinematography by Ross Riege
Edited by Jamie Kennedy
Music byLeo Birenberg
Zach Robinson
Production CompanyFunny or Die
Tango Entertainment
Ear Booker Productions
Distributor The Roku Channel
Box Office Collection$8 million

Cast and Characters:

  • Daniel Radcliffe as Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic
    • Diedrich Bader as narrator Al
    • David Bloom as teenage Al
    • Richard Aaron Anderson as young Al
  • Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna
  • Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento
  • Toby Huss as Nick Yankovic, Al’s estranged father.
  • Julianne Nicholson as Mary Yankovic, Al’s estranged mother.
  • Spencer Treat Clark as Steve Jay, Al’s bassist.
  • Jack Lancaster as Jim “Kimo” West, Al’s lead guitarist.
  • Tommy O’Brien as Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, Al’s drummer.
  • Thomas Lennon as a traveling accordion salesman.
  • Arturo Castro as Pablo Escobar
  • Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey
  • “Weird Al” Yankovic as Tony Scotti
    • Yankovic also provides onscreen Al’s singing voice
  • Will Forte as Ben Scotti
  • Jack Black as Wolfman Jack
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda as the ER doctor
  • Scott Aukerman as a police officer
  • Dot-Marie Jones as Mama Bear

Storyline:

The film explores every facet of Alfred Yankovic’s life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like ‘Eat It’ and ‘Like a Surgeon’ to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.

About Movie:

  • Inspired by Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2010), a “Funny or Die” short starring Aaron Paul as Al and Patton Oswalt as Dr. Demento. ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic himself appears in the short playing a similar character to the one he would play in the full-length film.
  • The film was filmed on a budget of around $8 million over 18 days between February and March 2022.
  • Weird: The Al Yankovic Story premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022, and was released on The Roku Channel on November 4, 2022.
  • The film received positive reviews, with particular praise for its humor and Radcliffe’s performance.
  • Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is nominated for two Emmy Awards at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Radcliffe and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Yankovic and Appel.
  • Australian distributor Umbrella Entertainment announced a release on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD, with a release date in April 2023.
  • In August 2023, Shout! Studios announced a release on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD in the United States and Canada with a release date of December 12, 2023.
Share this!