UHF

UHF

Is there a more underappreciated comedy genius maybe ever than the one and only “Weird” Al Yankovic? Here’s a man who managed to become a household name in the 1980s with his on target, sidesplitting parodies of such popular songs as Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” (along with his near perfect takes on the music videos as well) and also with his own original songs which made him a staple of the Dr. Demento comedy / novelty radio show and other vaudevillian music outlets. But Yankovic’s virtuoso comic talent also extended beyond music, as seen when he would host his own three hour block on MTV called “AlTV” (generally whenever he was coming out with a new album to promote) featuring hilarious skits, comedy bits, and most notably, the playing of mainstream music videos that were sometimes reedited for effect and / or had Al providing voiceover commentary lampooning the videos themselves, which was a comedy staple that he himself invented that later inspired others such as Beavis And Butthead and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Such was the breadth of his talent as seen on AlTV that it became a mystery as to why he never got his own regular cut loose comedy show to showcase his abilities, settling later on instead to hosting an awful Saturday morning kiddie show (similar to Pee Wee’s Playhouse) where his particular brand of humor was watered down just enough so as to only appeal to the target audience of 5 year old tykes and featured NONE of the razor sharp edginess that defined his other work which had walked an amazingly fine line between being offensive and yet acceptable for kids, with a superior example of this coming in 1989 when he got the chance to write and star in his very own movie (with longtime manager Jay Levey both directing and co writing) which turned out to be a hysterical mix of sketch segments and a linear story, as Yankovic from the writer’s position set out to attempt to (and succeeded in) parodying pretty much the entire decade of 80s pop culture in one entire movie, but what’s even more amazing was that he as an actor managed to set aside his own ego considerably and either perform as a straight man or arguably even be the single most uninteresting character in the whole movie while consistently quarterbacking and generously handing the ball off to an incredible freakshow ensemble cast of awesomely quirky performers, even managing to draw out one performance that was not his own that would emerge as one of the greatest and most offbeat in the history of cinema. The film begins with a spot on spoof of Raiders Of The Lost Ark that is so hysterically funny that it seems like something that could have been concocted by the ZAZ gang themselves, that is until we see Yankovic wearing the familiar Indiana Jones getup. It all turns out to be a daydream being had by Yankovic’s character (called “George Newman”), an unreliable loser who can’t even hold down a job in a greasy burger joint. Along with his VERY passive aggressive best friend Bob (80s supporting actor eventually turned virtual background performer David Bowe) who is SO laid back that he practically allows Yankovic to slap him around the whole movie, the two of them scrounge for work until happening upon a bit of good luck, as Yankovic’s moderately rich gambling junkie uncle (Stanley Brock) comes into possession during a poker game of the deed to a struggling little UHF station and decides to put his nephew and best friend in charge of it. Given the opportunity to finally put his “overactive imagination” to work, Yankovic starts by putting the gorgeous but nasal receptionist (Fran Drescher) into her dream position as a TV news reporter accompanied by a midget with a box camera played by immortal little person acting legend Billy Barty, but he really strikes gold when after failing in his attempts at hosting his own kiddie show, decides to hand the reins over to the station’s autistically retarded janitor played by Michael Richards, whose insane yet semi literate monologues on life and ample enthusiasm with the kids makes him into an overnight sensation that also attracts a cult following of adults who don’t seem to be in on the joke that the newest mad prophet of the airwaves is in reality a mentally retarded person, but Richards as Stanley Spadowski still manages to steal the show completely in a performance that would light up the signposts for his career leading to his hugely popular role as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. But it’s not just Richards’ penchant for perfectly timed goofball slapstick humor that makes this what it is, but rather his Stanley’s genuinely sweet, good hearted nature when it comes to dealing with people, as if he really expects the best from everybody whom he deals with and is truly hurt when he is rebuffed, a fitting comedic triumph for a guy who spent YEARS paying his dues on the comedy circuit before Yankovic gave him the role of a lifetime that he ran all the way to the endzone with, which seems a crying shame today given his recent racism scandal. As Stanley’s stardom shoots into the stratosphere and brings money into the station’s coffers, so do other unusual people start getting their “big break”, including Raul (Trinidad Silva, who died at the hands of a drunk driver after only shooting a couple of his scenes, a horrible tragedy as he was coming off his big breakthrough role as gang leader Frog in Colors), a sick weirdo who gets off on throwing dogs out a fifth story window to their deaths in a not so funny bit, martial arts instructor Kuni (Gedde “Long Duk Dong” Watanabe) hosting his own game show called Wheel Of Fish with his trademark yell of “STUPIDDD!!!” whenever a contestant fucks up, and strange, detached station techie Philo (Anthony Geary of “Luke and Laura” fame) hosting his own science show. Soon the crappy little station is number one in the ratings, beating out all of the network affiliates, which attracts the ire of R.J. Fletcher, owner of the former top network, and as played by Kevin McCarthy, formerly the raving lunatic from the end of the original Invasion Of The Body Snatchers having since developed a schtick down cold over the years as the meanest rich old white man imaginable in many other films, here he takes it to the absolute nasty extreme and scores many comic points in his own right, especially with his rant (recorded without his knowledge) of what he REALLY thinks of the community and the people within it (complete with over the top evil laugh). The rest of the cast here includes future Tea Party member Victoria Jackson (toning down her SNL blonde ditz routine greatly to play just a simple, sweet, nice girl) as Yankovic’s put upon girlfriend, and former Bozo The Clown Vance Colvig as a homeless bum who gets the last laugh when McCarthy only throws him a penny (“Don’t spend it all in one place haha.”). Besides the machinations of the film’s “plot” therein also resides many standalone bits and segments, including Yankovic’s rendition of his Money For Nothing / Beverly Hillbillies hybrid, an extended Rambo parody with Yankovic wearing a fake muscle suit, and several commercial spots of various bizarre nature. Some of them hit and some of them miss, but the funniest bits (besides anything that Richards does) is one segment called “Conan The Librarian” (yep, it’s like that) and another “talk show” bit that immediately entered the ranks of comedy legend featuring a cameoing Emo Phillips (of all people) as an absentminded shop teacher that literally has to be seen to be believed (especially with Emo’s lightly bemused reaction). What does it all add up to? Well, with Richards’ Spadowski successfully carrying the bulk of the main story and Yankovic’s sharp eye for parody skewering everything else in sight, the verdict that comes in from the jury declares this film to be a classic, one in which not every funny moment is hit directly out of the park, but for which the best bits are always to be remembered and enjoyed for years to come…

9/10

Click here to watch or buy this item at Amazon!