UHF

Wow. Weird Al Yankovic's big starring vehicle in 1989. Somehow I had avoided it until now. I hadn't missed anything. The only possible reasons to watch this disposable piece of junk are:

1) For Seinfeld completists, you can see a pre-Kramer Michael Richards playing a mildly retarded character. Or IS he playing?

2) For Saturday Night Live completists, you can see Victoria Jackson once again stumbling confusedly through her lines with a total lack of emoting skills or acting ability.

3) For fans of historical comedy references, you can watch for small parts given to mostly unknown veterans of TV sitcoms and old dramas. But this is more of an online research project than something you are likely to pick up while watching. I was amazed to read the backgrounds of the actors in many bit parts. It's obvious that Al had a reverence and respect for those who went before. And of course he manages to get Dr. Demento into the film, since Dr. D gave Al his start on the radio.

But golly, this is a mess of a movie. I'm going to tell you the one laugh-out-loud joke in the entire thing so you don't have to sit through it yourself. As the camera pans across an outdoor scene, you hear two voices:

"How about now?"
"Nope."
"Now?"
"No."
"Is this it?"
"Not yet."

And then camera keeps moving to reveal the voices belong to a blind guy attempting to complete a Rubik's Cube, asking his buddy for clarification after each twist. A brilliant concept. Now go rent something else.