Guest post by Seth Mutchler.
Hi, everybody! Seth Mutchler here, IU Cinema’s Cinema Technology Specialist. On September 10th, IU Cinema will be presenting my Staff Selects, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s UHF (1989). I was thinking about this movie as I was preparing to write this blog post, and I was struggling to put my finger on why I love it so much. In fact, I couldn’t even put my finger on why I love Weird Al so much. Now don’t get my wrong, I undeniably adore Weird Al. I have been listening to his music all my life, have watched UHF countless times, and I even performed live Weird Al’s epic anthem “Albuquerque” a few Halloweens back.
But why do I love Weird Al? Why do I find this polka-obsessed, colorful-shirt wearing, curly-haired man so comforting and hilarious?
Weird Al in a vacuum should not work. If anybody else was doing what Al does, it would probably be insensitive, reductive, and honestly just not very funny. So why is Weird Al a musical and comedic genius?
As I was pondering (let’s be honest, as I was procrastinating), I checked my social media. I know, always a mistake but pobody’s nerfect. As I was scrolling, I realized why Weird Al is different. A lot of people look at the world and see things to be afraid of. Their hearts are full of hatred and violence, and they view the world through that lens. But not our friend Al. Weird Al takes every situation and sees something to have fun with. His heart is filled with kindness and laughter, and he shares that world view with us in his songs, and in this film.
Weird Al in UHF says, “Nobody here appreciates a guy with a good imagination!” Not to argue with the man himself, but I think the real issue is not his imagination being underappreciated, but instead his kind heart. Al sees the goodness in everybody around him and he lifts up people others have cast out. And his parodies do the same. They aren’t mocking and they aren’t teasing; they are playful and kind-hearted. That’s what makes them work and it’s what makes them funny.
For any of you out there who are getting worried this movie is sappy, I’ll say yeah, it is. But it’s also incredibly hilarious, and I think that in this case one can’t exist without the other. I love Weird Al for his goofiness, but I also love him for his genuineness. And UHF is maximum genuine, and maximum goofy (and also maximum Weird Al).
UHF plays at IU Cinema on September 10 at 7pm. I’ll see you there!
Seth Mutchler (he/him) is IU Cinema’s Cinema Technology Specialist. He has had a lifelong passion for movies and technology, and loves getting to put those together every day at the Cinema. His favorite movies are science fiction, indie comedies from the ’90s, and cheesy action flicks. When not at IU Cinema, Seth plays drums in local pop-punk band Odd Duck and makes experimental dance music as two bands from Canada. His greatest achievement was once making the leader board on CSI pinball in the IU Memorial Union.