After UHF, “Weird Al” Yankovic fans faced a wait of more than three decades for another movie featuring the musical icon. And finally, along comes Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as “The Weird One” himself, the movie pokes fun at Yankovic’s life and career as well as the very notion that someone would make a biopic about him.
Lauren Carey of the Beer’d Al Podcast joins us to discuss 2022’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (a movie she and Rob willed into being). We’ll cover whether The Roku Channel original movie met our expectations, how it connects back to the criminally under-seen 1985 mockumentary The Compleat Al, and what we want Yankovic to do next in a post-Weird world.
John Travolta and Bruce Willis reunite for an action thriller that falls short of expectations.
THE HYPE
Back in 1994, John Travolta and Bruce Willis both delivered career-defining performances in a little movie called Pulp Fiction. The two actors barely share screen time in that film. And though Paradise City reunites them for the first time since then, it doesn’t fully capitalize on this opportunity. In fact, it’s bound to leave most viewers underwhelmed.
THE STORY
Paradise City opens with the apparent death of bounty hunter Ian Swan (Willis) in Maui. That’s not a spoiler, as even Lionsgate presents this incident as a key part of the premise. Before long, Swan’s son Ryan (Blake Jenner, Everybody Wants Some!!) launches an investigation into his father’s death. That leads him to mysterious businessman Buckley (Travolta) and a larger conspiracy threatening to impact the community of Maui.
THE CAST
Neither Travolta nor Willis has appeared in a major studio release for several years. And while the two actors do what they can with subpar material, Willis’ turn is more disappointing. With his retirement forthcoming, Paradise City is one of his final roles and not nearly the send-off he deserves. Of the remaining cast, only Stephen Dorff embraces the casual tone of the movie, handily stealing the movie from all involved.
THE PRODUCTION
Paradise City is also the first English-language film from director Chuck Russell since he collaborated with Travolta on 2016’s I Am Wrath. The director’s previous movie was the Indian film Junglee. But early on, he helmed bonafide classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, 1988’s The Blob, and 1994’s The Mask starring Jim Carrey. Sadly, none of his visual panache comes across, despite the gorgeous location shooting.
THE VERDICT
Fans of Travolta and Willis might be interested in Paradise City for the novelty of their reunion. But they shouldn’t go into the film expecting much more than a mild distraction. In this regard, Paradise City is serviceable. But the pedigree of its two lead actors — neither of whom gets enough screen time — and its director isn’t enough to carry a bland, convoluted story.
Paradise City is now available to watch on demand.
Cate Blanchett might be poised to win a third Academy Award for her performance in Tár. But more than two decades ago, the actor — who was already well on her way to becoming one of the best actors of her generation — co-starred with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton in an under-seen crime comedy-drama. And unsurprisingly, she steals the film.
The Famous Ashley Grant joins us to discuss 2001’s Bandits from director Barry Levinson. We’ll talk about Blanchett’s mesmerizing turn as the hostage who comes in between two bank robbers (Willis, Thornton), how the movie’s treatment of romance is so progressive, and we’ll name-check our favorite Willis movies in a new edition of Let’s Talk About SIX.
