Nov 17 2008
B+ Movie Review: UHF
Usually when I talk about B+ Movies, I’m referring to pictures that never made it to the big screen in America. Usually, the weird and interesting stuff just doesn’t get the funding or press or interest it takes to end up a major motion picture. There are, of course, some exceptions.
Take for instance 1989’s UHF.
For those six or eight of you that have never heard of the film’s star, Weird Al Yankovic is a musician who parodies popular songs and has been doing so for around 30 years. He brought this spirit into the realm of film, writing the story of a dreamer who can’t hold a job but who through a bit of happenstance ends up the manager of a UHF TV station.
Now you may be asking yourself “what the hell is UHF”. I’m glad you asked. UHF was the TV equivalent of AM radio. You got it through an antenna, it had crappier reception and almost no one actually tries to use it. It was local cable before local cable existed.
In the story, Weird Al’s station is expected to tank and nearly does until one day, Al puts the janitor on air, a character played by disgraced comedian Michael Richards. The station starts getting some viewers, causing the Network Affiliate to get angry and take steps to run the station out of business. Hilarity ensues.
The film is full of pop culture references to the 80’s with nods to Rambo, Conan the Barbarian and Geraldo Rivera. The comedy in the story is complimented by a host of wacky characters, including a reporter played by Fran Drescher, a midget camaraman and Al’s girlfriend, played by SNL alumni Victoria Jackson
This movie opened the same summer as Batman, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Lethal Weapon 2. As a result, it did pathetic box office but remained a favorite of fans of Al’s music. It got critical approval, just hit the theatres at the wrong time.
Like a number of 80’s movies, it’s pacing feels very slow to modern audiences, at least modern audiences including me. The film’s jokes are a little cliche now, but that’s mostly because they are the very source of those cliches. When I saw it in the theaters, it was hold-my-sides laughing, now it’s good for a smile and a chuckle.
For that reason, I give UHF a B, not a B+. It’s still worth watching and is still a fun movie. It will make you believe that a man can teach a poodle how to fly. Or not.
