Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Throws Down Its Trailer

In case you’re wondering, there is a real, actual explanation for why “Weird” Al Yankovic exists. The short of it is that he was a college DJ who fooled around and created his own parodies of the songs that were popular at the time. Offbeat syndicated radio personality Dr. Demento was sent demos of his recordings and liked them enough to play them on the air. This led to a record deal and it snowballed from there. You can find out the details by reading this article, assuming a paywall notice doesn’t pop up in your face.

That is definitely NOT the story you’ll get from Al’s own autobiographic movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, set to hit The Roku Channel in less than a week. As Al tells it, he was once a rebellious boy (played by Daniel Radcliffe) who displeased his parents by sneaking out to polka parties and practicing the accordion in secret. Looking for inspiration for his first big hit, he spied a package of bologna and wrote the masterpiece that sent him to the Top 40.

But instant fame and riches came with a dark side — an opportunistic manager in a top hat and frizzy beard (Rainn Wilson in inspired casting as Demento) and a tumultuous fling with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood). Other cast members include Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) as Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!), Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire), Julianna Nicholson (I, Tonya), and Spencer Treat Clark (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) It looks perfectly ridiculous, which is the kind of thing we pay Al for.

But it’s free. You won’t need a ticket to see Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, just a Roku device. The full movie lands on The Roku Channel September 4.