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I never really rated Daniel Radcliffe when I was younger. He didn’t really resonate with me and just looked bad next to the great actors he was working with. However, I do have to respect his post-Potter film choices. He just seems to be having the most fun ever and I think it’s great. He’s not reaching for award nominations or for millions of dollars. Instead, he’s making films that he wants to make. A parody biopic about Weird Al wouldn’t have been the kind of film everyone expected him to make but here we are. It looked insane and I couldn’t wait to watch it.

I know that Weird Al must have made it over the UK but he didn’t make it up to my part of Yorkshire. I didn’t know anything about Weird Al until I was a university. I enjoyed his parody songs but they probably would have appealed more to a younger me. Still, I enjoy his songs if they come on my Spotify playlists. It was obvious that the film of his life wouldn’t be like every other biopic. It was always going to be as weird and memorable as the man himself. It was co-written by Yankovic himself and the musician appears in the film as a record executive. Weird parodies films like Bohemian Rhapsody and includes a few references to other things.

If you’re willing to go along with it, Weird is a fun film. It’s not the most sophisticated and it’s a little one-note at times. However, it’s all about having a good time and I can respect that. It also has a fantastic cast of actors who are willing to do whatever it takes. There are plenty of dramatic actors who are playing everything straight despite the absurd premise. Evan Rachel Wood is particularly good as an evil version of Madonna. It’s a lot of fun watching her do her thing with Radcliffe. They’re a great pair.

I can see that this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Especially as it start life as a mock trailer on Funny or Die and often feels like a sketch stretched out for too long. It doesn’t completely hold together. Even the appearance of Madonna doesn’t quite fit. The film works best during the early parts when it is simply parodying famous biopics. That’s not to say that the rest of it isn’t enjoyable but it maybe takes the joke a bit too far. Still, it does what it set out to do. It’s a silly film that just wants to have a good time. In the hands of anyone else, this film wouldn’t have worked. With Radcliffe at the Helm and everyone else, this film works much better than it perhaps should have.