14 DAY TRIAL // When actor Will Ferrell started the Funny Or Die website, he did so with the intention of offering actors and other people in the movie industry a platform for work that would not be allowed anywhere else. Since then, the Funny Or Die videos have come a long way, to the point that they go viral in just hours of release – with the same going for the most recent, a trailer for a fake biopic on Al Yankovic, as CNN’s SciTechBlog informs.
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” would be title that this trailer advertises. Sadly, it’s not true, as such a project does not exist, not even in planning stage. Luckily, it includes cameos from several stars, including Yankovic himself, Olivia Wilde, Gary Cole, Aaron Paul and Mary Steenburgen. In fact, the video is so brilliantly done and so funny it actually leaves the viewer thinking of and wanting to see the whole product as well – the film.
“Remember when ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic hooked up with Madonna? Or the booze-fueled meltdown that nearly ended his career? Yeah... neither do we. But that didn’t keep all of those titillating moments out of a movie trailer for ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.’ […] The trailer spans Yankovic’s fictional life, from being busted as a child for hiding copies of ‘Accordion Player’ magazine under his mattress to the drunken tirade aimed at his bandmates – a staple of any rock star’s life story,” writes the aforementioned blog.
Useless to say, the faux trailer bears a striking resemblance to the one for “Walk the Line,” the critically acclaimed Johnny Cash biopic that starred Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. This, again, reinforces what some are already saying on dedicated forums, namely that an Al Yankovic movie in this vein would be warmly received. According to the same fans, this Funny Or Die video also stands as proof for what Hollywood could do if it really wanted to achieve something great.
“‘Nobody wants to hear a parody song, when they can hear the real thing for the same price,’ Yankovic says, playing a smarmy record-company executive. ‘Breaking Bad’ star Aaron Paul plays Al himself in a star-studded cast that includes Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, Olivia Wilde and comedian Patton Oswalt as Dr. Demento, the host of the syndicated novelty-song show on which Weird Al got his start,” the CNN blog further informs. Gary Cole is Al’s father. Olivia, as you will see below, plays the Material Girl herself. Enjoy.