When I first heard Weird Al Yankovic on the Doctor Demento radio show in the late ’70s, there was no clue that he’d be the biggest star for decades. He’d used his accordion to transform The Knack’s My Sharona into “My Bologna.” He took over MTV with Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” becoming “Like A Surgeon” and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” into “Eat It.” And the hits kept coming over the decades. Weird Al’s career has outlasted a majority of the people he spoofed. He’s outlived Michael Jackson. He was more than just music and music videos. At the end of the ’80s, he arrived on the big screen. Now his first major motion picture has been upgraded to 4K UHD for UHF: 35th Anniversary Edition.
After years of creating catchy videos for MTV, Hollywood begged Weird Al to bring his comic genius to the big screen. Instead of doing his own version of 8 Mile, Al played a character that wasn’t an accordion loving goofball who mocked the pop songs. UHF has him playing the unmusical George Newman. This character is a slacker slowly working his way down the food chain because he’s just not made for fast food. He and his pal Bob (A Few Good Men‘s David Bowe) get tossed out of Edna’s Burger World. This turns out to be their lucky break. Through a family connection, Al finds himself as the station manager of an extremely low rated UHF channel in Tulsa. What does Al know about TV? Probably more than he does about cooking burgers. Working at the station gets to be a drag since nothing he does seems to inspire viewers or ratings. In the midst of a crisis, he does the unthinkable and lets the goofy janitor (Seinfeld‘s Michael Richards) take over the afternoon cartoon show that has kids in the studio audience. The janitor becomes a sensation with his antics including letting kids drink from a firehose. The show becomes a smash. After this success, Al launches more new shows including Wheel of Fish and a violent talkshow. The ratings go through the roof. This drives Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) nuts. He owns the prestigious network station. He can’t afford to lose in the ratings. He comes up with a plan to take 62 off the air. This includes his goons kidnapping the janitor. Can Al come up with a scheme to save his dream job and the janitor?
UHF wasn’t a hit in the theater. When it opened at the end of July, 1989, the cineplexes were filled with Batman, Lethal Weapon 2, Dead Poets Society, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Do the Right Thing and Weekend At Bernies. What hope did it have against an Andrew McCarthy blockbuster? But UHF found success on VHS. This makes sense since who needs to go to the movie theater to watch TV?
The movie remains brilliant. Al Yankovic is a very giving actor. He allows Michael Richards steal the film from him. Richards had come off the insanity of Fridays so having fun in front of TV cameras was second nature to him. He goes deep into the character of Stanley Spadwski. Al has his moments, but his character just can’t top the janitor who becomes the center of attention. Kevin McCarthy is perfect at blowharding in the heavy role. The film is so good that Fran Drescher (The Nanny) seems non-annoying as a station employee. Victoria Jackson does seem like the kinda woman who would date Al. Gedde Watanbe (Sixteen Candles) is a master at spinning the wheel of fish. Even after 35 years, UHF has a fresh insanity to the action. You still want to find Channel 62 on your remote control.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K of UHF just looks so much better than the VHS. This is a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. You’ll get a lot of details on Wheel of Fish. The audio for UHF is DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo. The movie is subtitled.
Commentary Track with Weird Al and director Jay Levey. Al has a great new song for Orion films. Jay is also Al’s manager so the duo have seen each other since the film was made. Al jokes about how Jay somehow didn’t find any other directors to do justice to the film. Al points out the gaffes. Jay calls him “One Take Al.”
Blu-ray has all the rest of the bonus features.
The Wonderful World of “Weird Al” panel (51:06) is from this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. Al riffs on his career with Jonah Ray hosting. Al is in prime form since his record had just got the #1 slot.
Deleted Scenes (19:12) is Al guiding us through the deleted scenes that were worth digging out of the cut bin. You get to see his love scene with Victoria Jackson.
Behind-the-Scenes Footage (3:39) is a little view behind Wheel of Fish from the electronic media kit.
Music Video (4:30) is for the theme song. Al spoofs MTV between clips from the film.
Production Stills (15:21) is a montage of 183 press photos and behind the scenes shots.
Poster Gallery (2:07) includes the original artwork, advertising, the VHS box, the laserdisc jackets, a stand-up display and the 2-D glasses.
Easter Eggs are promised.
Trailer Gallery includes the teaser trailer (0:40) and the full trailer (1:27). The teaser has Al in the Indiana Jones spoof scene.
Shout! Studios presents UHF: The 25th Anniversary Edition. Directed by: Jay Levey. Screenplay by: Jay Levey & “Weird Al” Yankovic. Starring: Weird Al Yankovic, Michael Richards, Billy Barty, Doctor Demento and Victoria Jackson. Rated: PG-13. Running time: 98 minutes. Released: July 2, 2024.
