Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Weird: The Al Yankovic StoryWritten and directed by Eric Appel, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story stars Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe as the title musician. The film had its premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, receiving mostly positive reviews from critics, and debuted exclusively on The Roku Channel on November 4. The film is a parody of a biopic that heavily exaggerates Weird Al Yankovic’s life.
Although titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, the biopic is not exactly based on the musician’s life — at least not in the traditional sense — and takes a ton of creative liberties with Weird Al’s childhood, personal life, and career choices. Drawing some of its influence from the Funny or Die skit, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story follows the rise of the musician’s career as a parody artist and blurs the line between fiction and reality to great effect. Here is a full guide to the ending explained, including why Weird Al Yankovic’s story is depicted in parody form instead of going the route of a traditional biopic. Note: This feature details the film’s version of events and not that of Weird Al’s real life.
Why Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Is A Parody Of The Musician’s Life
Weird Al Yankovic has never done anything by the book and, in terms of being a musician, his career has been distinct from others. Considering that his music is a parody of major hits, including “Eat It” and “Like a Surgeon,” it made perfect sense for a Weird Al biopic to follow in the same footsteps. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story leans heavily into the tropes so often depicted in biographical dramas of a musician’s life, including unsupportive parents and a reliance on drugs and alcohol, turning the film into a parody of Weird Al's own life, which is the opposite of what is depicted. Speaking with AV Club, Yankovic says that music biopics were “maddeningly familiar,” and so he and the filmmakers sought to include the very tropes he kept seeing. This gives the film a funny narrative to lean on precisely because it is a parody, aligning with Yankovic’s own musical style. A traditional biopic about the musician’s life wouldn’t have been on par with his life or career.
What Is Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Based On?
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story takes a lot of creative liberties with its story, with the majority of its narrative about Weird Al being fabricated for the film. Though very loosely based on Weird Al’s life, the film itself is adapted from the Funny or Die skit. The trailer also parodied Weird Al’s life, showcasing a darker side to his relationship with his parents and suggesting that “Eat It” was an original song the musician wrote and that was then copied by Michael Jackson, who turned it into “Beat It” (which is untrue). The Funny or Die trailer starred Aaron Paul as Weird Al and had many of the same story beats that were then adapted for the feature-length movie.
Why Weird Al Yankovic Wanted To Be Taken Seriously As An Artist
After a string of hits that parodied popular songs, including his big hit with “My Bologna,” a riff off of “My Sharona,” Weird Al felt that everyone saw him as nothing more than a joke. If he began writing original songs instead of parodies, audiences and — crucially — other musicians would start taking him more seriously as an artist. For a while, Weird Al felt more like he was a laughingstock despite drawing in crowds at concerts and successfully selling albums. It was a low point in his career because he didn’t think making parody music was good enough anymore. Rather, the true mark of a great musician is someone who could create completely original music — or so Weird Al believed.
The Real Reason Weird Al Yankovic’s Dad Didn’t Want Him Playing Accordion
One of the biggest jokes of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was the revelation that Nick Yankovic, Weird Al’s father, grew up Amish. Nick’s story mirrored his son’s in many ways: He loved playing the accordion and thought he could make it a living doing something he loves. However, Nick was so hard on Weird Al — nicknamed Alfie — because he didn’t want him to face the same disappointment he had. Banning him from playing the accordion, and pushing him to work in a factory, was Nick’s way of setting Weird Al on the right path, a successful one that wouldn’t lead to heartache or a dead-end career. Ultimately, Nick didn’t want Weird Al to become a laughingstock, so he figured that if he was tough on him from an early age it would reroute Weird Al’s musical dreams into something more grounded.
Pablo Escobar’s Plans For Weird Al Yankovic Explained
Pablo Escobar (Arturo Castro) was adamant about wanting Weird Al to perform at his birthday party, but no matter how much he insisted, the parody singer would not give in. Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord who became a political figure for a while in the early 80s, loved Weird Al’s music so much that he stopped at nothing to make their meeting happen. Escobar had a lot of money, power, and weapons, and Weird Al refusing his invitation was something the drug lord would not take lightly. Pablo Escobar's ego was bruised, which pushed him to the extreme in a bid to get what he wanted from Weird Al — whether the musician liked it or not. At the end of his rope, Pablo Escobar concocted a plan to kidnap Madonna because he knew Weird Al would do anything to get her back. And he was right. Weird Al came to rescue Madonna, but Escobar didn’t anticipate that he’d pushed the musician to do something extreme as well, which led his entire plan to backfire rather spectacularly.
Why Madonna Was So Obsessed With Weird Al Yankovic
Madonna is, like everyone in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a parody version of the real-life singer. Here, she’s deeply infatuated with Weird Al and seeks him out to collaborate. However, Madonna doesn’t genuinely care for Weird Al, at least not at first. Rather, she is obsessed with him because she hopes he would parody one of her songs to benefit her career and deepen her pockets. Evan Rachel Wood's Madonna knew that having a parody made of “Like a Virgin” would increase the song’s popularity, and Madonna would continue reaping the monetary rewards through royalties paid out to her for the use of her music. Madonna knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it, which is why she stuck so close to Weird Al and pushed him to live outside his comfort zone; she hoped he would find inspiration that way. While she grows to care for him in some way, Madonna’s ego is at the forefront throughout Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.