Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Shows Daniel Radcliffe In A Whole New Light

Ranging from his fan-favourite Coolio spin-off “Amish Paradise” to his Madonna parody “Like A Surgeon,” singer “Weird Al” Yankovic has a memorable discography. The U.S. star rose to fame with his amusing parodies of hit songs. And now, his rapid rise to fame is set to be retold in an equally tongue-in-cheek biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

Inspired by a string of serious musical biopics about everyone from Elton John (2019’s Rocketman) to Queen singer Freddie Mercury (2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody) this “true” story about the life of Yankovic incorporates a lot of creative licence, and some completely fictitious events, along the way. A satirical offering of an autobiographical film, it’s essentially an exaggerated version of the musician’s already fascinating life — and it all gets rather meta when you consider that Weird Al built an entire career on parodying other people’s work. Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe — who went onto star in Kill Your Darlings and Trainwreck following the magical film franchise — plays Yankovic. Meanwhile, Evan Rachel Wood plays a hilarious portrayal of pop icon Madonna. Better yet, the real-life Yankovic portrays a record label executive in the movie.

“The biopic holds nothing back, exploring every facet of 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,” reads Roku’s tongue-in-cheek synopsis. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story takes audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic’s life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time.”

Check out the official trailer for a glimpse at the comedy biopic, complete with an entirely fabricated fling with Madonna, below.

Where Can I Watch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story?

The new satirical biopic will land on free streaming service The Roku Channel. Originally, the platform was only available to viewers with various bits of Roku tech — like their TVs, or plug-in streaming stick — but now their app works across most PCs, smart-phones, and tablets. You can also find Roku online, on some Samsung smart TVs, and through NOW TV and Sky Q. In exchange for watching a few ads, the platform features a decent selection of TV shows and films, and best of all, there’s no subscription fee. Happy days!

After officially premiering at Toronto Film Festival back in September, the film officially gets its wider release on Nov 4. It’ll be skipping cinemas entirely, and heading straight for streaming services.