The laughs just keep rolling as 'Weird Al' makes a movie. Overheard from a still-convulsing woman after a recent screening of Weird Al Yankovic's UHF: "I'm sorry, but that's funny." I'm sorry, but she's right. Yuks you feel obliged to apologize for are yuks nonetheless. And UHF prompts a lot of apologies.
Yankovic fails to come up with anything new to freshen the stock storyline, and is content instead to let it serve as a creaky showcase for his forte, media parodies. But even the quality of these parodies is inconsistent, with the movie and music takeoffs being obvious and out of date.
UHF is my favorite movie of all time.
Why? It isn't a 'good' movie by any measure.
But it's unhinged, unapologetically over the top, and punches you in the face with hilarious absurdity at every turn... and sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered.
To give you an idea of what it's like: Airplane! comes in as somewhat of a comparison in my opinion.
Yankovic, an advocate of the Monty Python and Mel Brooks schools of comedy, favors yechy burlesque, and UHF, with its scant plot, is basically a variety show with skits, sight gags and gross stuff. "Weird" reminds us there's nothing quite like a good booger joke for pure entertainment.
UHF, a parody of trash television, is almost defiantly silly, but when it's funny it is very funny. This sloppy, good-natured satire certainly doesn't threaten "Network's" status as the classic decimation of the television business. [27 Jul 1989, p.1]
The problem with UHF is that everything in it is a parody. The only logic for anything that happens is that there's some new thing to make fun of-mostly inanely. It's not much of a movie. [21 Jul 1989 p.11]
Gave us good laughs when my friends and I were just leaving our teenage years over 25 years ago. And now it gives my kids good laughs. The "Gandhi II" trailer alone makes UHF worth it.
This movie was under-rated when it premiered, and it still gets no respect. Personally, I think this movie is funnier than anything in the theaters now. No one associated with it ever claimed it was high comedy, or serious cinema - it was done for laughs....cheap, plentiful laughs. Kevin McCarthy stole the movie, as far as I'm concerned. His over-the-top portrayal of R.J. Fletcher was a riot. If you have an hour and a half or so to kill, and want to be mindlessly entertained. check this one out.
Not only can "Weird Al" Yankovic make fun of your favorite tunes, together with Jay Levey he can also eat up, swallow, digest and throw up your favorite movies and television shows aswell.
No doubt about it, UHF is one for the ages. It's smart, funny and at the same time very engaging at the best of times. I love how the plot of a UHF station against a National Network Affiliate works well in making the movie what it was.
We see this movie push the boundaries of the satirical genre into what it is now. From the smart, ingenius and humidly and high flying humor of Airplane! to what is now Utter randomness, sky rocketing humor and genius scripwriting by the Albert Einstiens of Comedy. Yes, we owe it all to Alfred Yankovic. UHF is a classic. From the Academy Award scene paroding Raiders of the Lost Ark to the Ghandi II skit, there is not a single moment in this movie that puts a frown on your face. Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies is a smart and very funny song by the way, and the UHF theme song should have been a single off the album, seriously. I do have to mention, this particular satirical film is very unique. Do You Know Why? Well because, UHF has a plot that actually engages you, rather than drag you into the comedy. Yes, it actually has depth in it, unlike many, many movies of the same genre. The Plot has you **** in to the last moment. Seriously.
Screw Vampires ****, Scary Movie and all those. UHF is one of the greatest satirical films of all-time.
Maybe for the year it came out it was funnier, watchin this year feels a bit outdated, but was interesting to see young Al and also actor who portrayed Kramer later.