UHF
A film review by Ken Kaufman
Copyright 1989 Ken Kaufman
What can you say about a film which includes the theme to Mr. Ed?
Shall we start with the bad news? The plot is cliched and holey; the bad guys might as well be made of cardboard, and after the opening scene, the next 20-30 minutes fall dreadfully flat.
But, in spite of all that, I would rate Weird Al Yankovic's new film, UHF, a 7 on the ISIYVAHIT (Infamous-Send-In-Your-Vote-And-Have-It-Tabulated) 1-10 scale. Why?
Weird Al's strength is in the art of parody. And the film is full of satire that hits right on the mark; this turns the entire movie around. Blockbuster movies, television shows, music videos, and of course some classic commercials are targeted and nailed.
Also included in the film are some of the world's oldest gags. But in a (perhaps inadvertent) fit of brilliance, UHF does a better job of telegraphing them than Western Union could ever hope to, and in doing so, allows one to revel for eons before the punch line is finally delivered. Who cares if you can guess what's in the closet? It's still funny when they open the door.
A couple things to watch for that I didn't catch until they were mentioned in the closing credits: A clip from that other classic, "Mars Needs Women," and a cameo appearance by Dr. Demento (listed in credits as "Man eating whipped cream."
No one is going to hand Yankovic an Oscar for his effort; this is hardly great cinema. However, if you go in looking for low-level laughs and some wonderful satire on all sorts of modern pop-culture targets, you will have more fun than you can wave a spatula at.
Ken Kaufman (kaufman@gmu90x.gmu.edu)
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