UHF can be better refereed to be what everyone thinks of it as- the Weird Al Yankovic movie, just as Glitter is the Mariah Carey movie. From its concept the entire film would be built around the talents of Yankovic, but a funny thing happens- someone else becomes the real star of the film, outshining Yankovic, who in an even stranger bit of Hollywood humility seems to be okay with that.
Yankovic has been a constant presence in music since the early 80's. He's the sort of artist you forget about until he comes back, but he always does. Yankovic's real talent is that he always seems to understand the state of popular culture at the moment and adapt himself to demonstrate its excess- whether it be the star pop of the 80's, the grunge of the early 90's, or now, gangsta rap.
However, as UHF demonstrates, Yankovic is, unfortunately, a gifted comedian but not a very good actor or screenwriter. He's fine when he's by himself, but when he has to interact with other performers he comes off as amateurish and fake. His script, co-written with director Jay Levey, is essentially a series of gags strung together by a thin (and I mean really thin) plot line.
Yankovic is always likeable- his persona is a geeky but nice guy and he's impossible not to like, but his character, George Newman, is so passive that's its hard to get caught up in his campaign to save his uncle's TV station, which is being threatened by the tycoon R. J. Fletcher (Kevin McCarthy).
The real star of the film is a pre-Kramer Michael Richards as Stanley Spadowski, a mentally challenged janitor who becomes a surprise sensation as the host of kid's show on the network. Richard's is funny every time he appears on screen and the humor of his character is pretty subversive. He has no idea what he's doing and, in one of his many funny bits, agrees to host the show only if he can continue as the custodian of the station, because he really loves mopping. Richards overshadows Yankovic in almost every scene that they share, and oddly, the star is impressivley humble enough to give the spotlight to someone else. The second half of the movie is dominated by Richards that at the end its kind of surprising that George has a significant role to play in the climax.
The movie has an endearing cheap look and lowbrow charm to it. There are long stretches where there are no laughs, which will suddenly be interrupted by truly hilarious scenes. UHF is a minor effort, but is amusing enough for a recommendation.
UHF (1989)