Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | |
---|---|
![]() Release poster | |
Directed by | Eric Appel |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ross Riege |
Edited by | Jamie Kennedy |
Music by |
|
Production companies | |
Distributed by | The Roku Channel |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $8 million[1] |
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a 2022 American biographical musical parody film directed by Eric Appel, in his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Al Yankovic.[2] The film is a satire on musical biopics and is loosely based on Yankovic's life and career as an accordionist and parody songwriter. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic, along with Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson in supporting roles.
A fake trailer for a satirical biographical film was produced by Appel for Funny or Die in 2010. Yankovic would screen the trailer at his concerts, which made fans question when a full-length film would be made and led Yankovic and Appel to develop the film's concept together. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was filmed on a budget of around $8 million over eighteen days between February and March 2022. It premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, and was released on The Roku Channel on November 4, 2022. The film received positive reviews from critics, who largely praised its screenplay, humor, and cast performances (particularly Radcliffe).
At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, Yankovic and Appel's script was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Radcliffe's performance was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. The film won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.