--- title: "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/weird-the-al-yankovic-story/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/weird-the-al-yankovic-story" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 26 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 26 reviews: 18 positive, 6 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics enjoy Weird: The Al Yankovic Story as an affectionate spoof of music biopics, praising its willingness to discard the facts and push familiar clichés into absurdity. Praise centres on Daniel Radcliffe, whose sincerity, deadpan delivery and wholehearted commitment make the invented Yankovic endearing even at his most ridiculous. Evan Rachel Wood’s Madonna and the celebrity cameos also draw approval, with the pool-party sequence repeatedly singled out for its comedy. The spread is wide, however, and the main reservation is that the premise cannot sustain a feature’s length: even favourable reviews note repetition and flagging momentum. The Madonna subplot divides opinion, providing welcome comic excess for some and an overextended distraction for others. The Guardian offers a firmer rejection, finding the parody laborious and largely unfunny; Vulture also dissents, arguing that the film lacks the real Yankovic’s cleverness and unpredictability despite Radcliffe’s efforts. ## RogerEbert.com — Nick Allen Fi1m's normalised score 91/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2022. The film is a funny, egoless pop music phantasmagoria and one of the funniest movies of the year. The critic singles out the centerpiece pool party scene and Radcliffe’s committed, innocent-yet-arrogant performance for praise. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-2022) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 9 September 2022. Festival review. The knowingly over-the-top satirical biopic skewers its hero and the biopic form itself with supreme affection. The critic singles out the daffy-droll tone, the pool-party scene with celebrity cameos, and Radcliffe’s arc from dork to egomaniac for praise. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-1235365481/) ## The New York Times — Amy Nicholson Rating Critic’s Pick. 3 November 2022. The uproarious sham biopic makes a joke of Yankovic’s own life and parodies the prestige biography genre. The critic singles out Radcliffe’s guileless, committed performance (and the film’s note-for-note parody style) for praise. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/movies/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 4 November 2022. The spoof biopic entertainingly abandons reality for crackpot set pieces in the spirit of The Naked Gun, with Daniel Radcliffe hugely entertaining as Yankovic and standout pop milieu details. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-entertains-in-this-glorious-spoof-biopic-bfm7nrmsk) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2022. The review calls the film brilliantly weird and a go-for-broke, effervescently enjoyable parody that takes the piss out of the music-biopic template in the spirit of Yankovic's work. It singles out the high joke-rate absurdity (like a Naked Gun film) and Daniel Radcliffe's committed, deadpan performance for praise, while noting the third-act energy dips slightly. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/weird-the-al-yankovic-story/) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey Rating 4/5. 5 November 2022. The critic praises the film's commitment to its absurd parody of music biopics, with Radcliffe delivering pitch-perfect comic timing and sincerity as Yankovic in a story that takes the genre's clichés to ludicrous extremes. She singles out the straight-faced delivery of ridiculous moments and Evan Rachel Wood's outsized Madonna as highlights in this rare comedy that works because it fully commits to the bit. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/weird-al-movie-daniel-radcliffe-release-uk-b2216970.html) ## IndieWire — Vikram Murthi Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2022. Festival review. The review praises Daniel Radcliffe’s committed performance in this frequently exaggerated, often fabricated story of Yankovic’s rise to fame. It highlights the film’s irreverent take on biopic conventions while noting its comedic exaggerations. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-1234760602/) ## Slant Magazine — Mark Hanson Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2022. Festival review. The film takes biopic clichés to glorious heights of ridiculousness in a gleefully self-deprecating way, with Radcliffe perfectly embodying the bizarre-world Al through his endearing innocence and enthusiasm. It delights in anarchic absurdity, especially in the awards-show climax, though some elements like the Madonna subplot feel stale. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — John DeFore Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2022. Festival review. The critic calls it a relentlessly silly, wholesome parody of rock biopics that trashes the facts of Yankovic’s life in the spirit of his songs. It is funny and a welcome reminder of a pre-internet time when being a nerd was less ordinary, though a bit flabby in the second half. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-daniel-radcliffe-1235215435/) ## The AV Club — Brett Buckalew Rating B-. 2 November 2022. The film works best when it leans into its title with absurdist tangents and absurdist comedy in the second half, especially scenes involving Madonna and Pablo Escobar. Radcliffe’s committed performance captures the performer’s nerdy exuberance, but the movie lacks the joke density of Yankovic’s music and runs longer than ideal. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/weird-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-1849730496) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 3/5. 1 November 2022. The critic finds the film an alternative, tongue-in-cheek history of Yankovic's life rather than a faithful biopic, packed with silly, fabricated fun and strong comic performances from Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood, though some gags are overdone. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/weird-al-yankovic-story-review/) ## The Telegraph Rating 3/5. 3 November 2022. The film is a cheerfully slapdash, uneven spoof riff on music biopic tropes that offers little legitimate fact but benefits from game performances and a strong Madonna romance subplot. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2022/11/03/weird-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-stars-parody/) ## Los Angeles Times — Noel Murray Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2022. The feature-length version doesn’t add much to the original joke and has limited appeal beyond diehards. The critic singles out the “Boogie Nights”-like party scene and the bizarre Madonna-Escobar digression for praise, while noting the repetitive faux-biography elements as a complaint. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-11-04/reviews-streaming-video-enola-holmes-weird-al-yankovic-selena-gomez) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. The review describes the film as an impishly ambitious parody of rock biopics that has a blast mocking genre conventions early on but eventually runs out of gas with increasingly outrageous gags without comparably strong payoffs; it is a niche, hit-or-miss Funny Or Die production. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-toronto-review/5174333.article) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 7 November 2022. The critic finds the film disappointingly not weird enough and more like an impostor than a true parody, struggling to sustain laughs over 108 minutes despite strong individual bits and Radcliffe’s committed performance. It feels like it could have used more of the real Weird Al’s cleverness and unpredictability. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-not-weird-enough.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2022. The critic finds the spoof biopic a long, slow trudge through parody musical clichés with little comedy, calling it laboriously unfunny and pointless despite some decent walk-on gags. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/03/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-biopic-packed-with-wacky-walk-ons) ## The Playlist — Charles Bramesco Rating B+. 9 September 2022. Festival review. The critic praises the film's daffy anti-biopic approach that imagines an alternate reality where Weird Al's uncool novelty act dominates pop culture and celebrates eccentric cult heroes. They single out the exaggerated spoof of biopic clichés and the sincere core that elevates the lowest common denominator to artistic heights. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-novelty-acts-cult-heroes-take-spotlight-in-daffy-anti-biopic-tiff-20220909/) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating 4/5. 1 November 2022. The critic calls it the perfect antidote to glossy Hollywood music biopics, praising its surreal, mostly fictional approach, Radcliffe's winning performance as a goofy high-schooler who wins the lottery, and the quirky cameos that make it a cult classic in the making. They single out the constant mock-veneration of Al's lyrical prowess as overdone and tiresome. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-3339581) ## Polygon — Juan Barquin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2022. Festival review. The critic calls it a fun, intoxicatingly charming parody that excels at blending reality and fiction while skewering biopic tropes, with the film living and dying on its lead performance. The one thing singled out for praise is Daniel Radcliffe's 10,000% commitment, including his precise lip-syncing and sincere delivery amid the absurdity. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23345217/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe/) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2022. Festival review. The critic praises the film as a wildly entertaining, intentionally inaccurate parody of rock biopics that applies Weird Al's musical approach to the genre itself, delivering ridiculous fun with strong cameos despite some hit-or-miss humor. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating B. 9 September 2022. Festival review. The critic praises the film as a charming and hilarious biopic parody that succeeds by leaning into absurdity and the joy of its cast, especially Daniel Radcliffe's committed performance as Yankovic. The one thing singled out for praise is Radcliffe's energetic, appreciative portrayal that honors the comedian's work. [Read the review](https://collider.com/weird-al-yankovic-story-review-daniel-radcliffe-evan-rachel-wood/) ## Den of Geek — Tony Sokol Rating 3.5/5. 4 November 2022. The critic views the film as a spoof of musical biopics that elevates clichés to mythic extremes through a polka instrument, with Daniel Radcliffe delivering demented magic in the lead role. They praise the cartoony humor, cameos, and self-deprecating wish-fulfillment tone but note it struggles to sustain momentum after the halfway point. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-daniel-radcliffe-magic/) ## Digital Spy — Gabriella Geisinger Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2022. The critic describes the film as a difficult-to-categorize fictional biopic and parody that succeeds as an absurdist musical tale buoyed by earnestness, with Radcliffe's sincere performance making the accordion obsession believable and Evan Rachel Wood's Madonna a highlight. They single out some creative choices as weak, including a questionable fat suit, but recommend it for fans of the absurd or Weird Al. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a41856387/weird-al-yankovic-story-watch-online-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 7/10. 9 September 2022. Festival review. The critic calls the film a delightfully ludicrous parody of a biopic that runs wild with absurdity and hysterical gags. They single out Daniel Radcliffe's committed performance as the best work of his career while noting the narrative begins to drag after a brisk start. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1001462/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review-a-polka-party-of-absurdity-tiff/) ## Paste — Aurora Amidon Rating 7.1. 5 November 2022. The critic finds the parody biopic equally clever and tiresome, noting its strong performances and fun premise but criticizing how the repetitive gags and overplayed gimmick wear thin, especially the extended Madonna relationship. The one thing singled out for complaint is the film's tendency to repeat the same joke until it becomes exhausting. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/weird-al/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-review) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2022. Festival review. The critic finds the film starts strong as a self-aware parody of biopics and Weird Al's persona but loses its way after about 30 minutes when it shifts into darker, sillier territory involving stereotypes and violence that undercuts the comedy. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/09/weird-the-al-yankovic-story-tiff-review-1235112631/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/weird-the-al-yankovic-story.md