'UHF' - Al's First Weird Trip to Hollywood

Hello, and welcome back to Second Chances where I spotlight the maligned, ignored, and weird, and today's pick was all three.

On 27 August, 2018, Alfred Matthew Yankovic, known to the world as "Weird Al," gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Al is one of my favorite performers of all time and, by anyone's measure, the greatest comedy musician in history. It's gotten to the point that new artists consider it the greatest mark of validation when Al comes asking to do a parody of their song. While his music career had its ups ("Straight Outta Lynwood") and downs ("Polka Party"), it is still the gold standard for making a life out of funny music.

In the 80s, when he was riding high from the success of his albums Dare to be Stupid and Even Worse, Al and his manager Jay Levey did the natural thing and made a movie. Al's first feature film UHF was meant to be the visual counterpoint to his music. Unfortunately, it was a victim of extremely poor timing. It opened in the middle of a box office summer dominated by movies like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon2, and the world-conquering juggernaut that was Tim Burton's Batman. Because of that, UHF bombed big time (a critical thrashing didn't help). However, it is one of the best spoof movies not to feature Mel Brooks and deserves another shot.

The plot is thin, but it works. Al plays George Newman, a guy who has trouble keeping a job due to his overactive imagination. When his Uncle Harvey (Stanley Brock) wins a local UHF station in a card game, George is allowed to be its new station manager. With his friend and roommate Bob (David Bowe) in tow, George starts airing an odd collection of shows, even giving a kids show to the station's janitor Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards). Unfortunately, the station's success draws the ire of R.J. Fletcher (Kevin McCarthy), the owner of a rival station who vows to shut them down by any means.

For those afraid that UHF is a spoof film of similar style and quality of Seltzerberg's garbage (Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.), get those thoughts out of your head. Yes, this one has several direct parodies from famous films and TV shows, but that's where the similarities end. The spoofs are mostly contained to George's Walter Mitty-esque daydreaming and the commercial interlude U-62 airs. The parodies don't form the basis of the plot like Seltzerberg's crap. In other words, the parodies actually supplement the story rather than replace it. Even though there are a few parodies that are of their time like Geraldo, most of them are of timeless works like Rambo and Raiders of the Lost Ark which are still funny today.

The cast works great. Al is very likable as George, though you can definitely tell he was still green in front of the camera. Victoria Jackson was pleasant as George's way-too-patient girlfriend Teri, but I wish she could have contributed more to the plot than just the "significant other" part. Fran Drescher's part as the reporter Pamela Finklestein was practically her audition for The Nanny and worked great. However, the two who stole the show were Michael Richards and Kevin McCarthy. Michael Richards brought the same manic energy to Stanley Spadowski that he later would bring to Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. On the flipside, Kevin McCarthy is one of the few actors I know who can do a hilariously over-the-top villain right. He was already one people loved to hate in InnerSpace, and he intensified it even more as Fletcher.

UHF is essential watching for any fan of "Weird Al," but, let's face it, fans of "Weird Al" already have it. It's also great for those who just like screwball comedies in general. While some of the more topical jokes don't really work anymore, most of it is still hilarious. If you're looking for a few laughs, load this up, crank up the volume, and yank off the knobs.

What do you think? Let me know, and take care!