And it really is a shame because Weird Al has been a background presence in my life since I was a kid, a genuinely funny artist whose goofy sense of humor probably has informed my personality in some way. Someone I'm always happy to see turn up wherever, and whose sensibility is all over this picture.
So; what we have here is a parody of made-for-TV biopics in form and structure, applying the Hallmark Channel TV special histrionics and plot beats to a skewed, parallel reality where teens have polka parties and talk about accordionists as if they were rock stars. It follows Weird Al's story through all the common places - having to choose between his family and his art, breaking out and becoming a star too young, a descent into booze, a torrid affair, and... well, some other fun developments it'd be too mean to spoil.
It's... pleasant, likeable. Yankovic is played by Daniel Radcliffe, who applies all the wide-eyed innocence of the role that put him on the map to make his character pretty damn endearing even when he's having a hissy fit. It's a great, fun performance that does a lot to hold the movie together even as it wanders aimlessly, ably aided by Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna and a host of comic actors in bit parts and supporting roles.
There are a few good jokes and solid punchlines here and there, but it feels as if a lot of the comedy here is to take these ridiculous situations or meta moments and film them in a dramatic fashion. That might be ok in a five-minute web short, but at a few points here it threatened to make this movie a chore to get through - it's a fine device to hang other stuff off of, but on its own it's clearly not as funny as the makers of this movie thought it would be. Commitment to the bit is not a replacement for actual jokes; You want laughs or groans, not a 'huh, that's kind of clever...'
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