"UHF" DVD: Do You Think Your Brain Would Blow Up? (reviewed by AX)

Many of my all-time favorite movies still have yet to receive a proper release on the DVD format: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, FREAKED, FRANKENHOOKER. The list is still unfortunately very long. However, I can now strike one off! Weird Al Yankovic's 1989 big-screen flop UHF was finally given the full treatment by MGM this summer. I am extremely pleased about this. Extremely.

First, let me note that I'm not really a fan of Weird Al. Sure, I thought his song "Eat It" was funny when it came out...but I was only 7 years old. His main thing is music, and his music is only funny to children for the most part. As I got older, I pretty much found his songs to be stupid. But the movie UHF is a totally different story. I was 12 when it came out, I thought it was hilarious, and I still think it's very funny today. I remember wishing Al would've had more success with UHF because I think he'd be much funnier doing movies than more albums. But unfortunately, UHF was released against tons of blockbuster films in the summer of '89 (hint: BATMAN was one) and tanked after only 2 weeks. The studio, Orion Pictures, ended up bankrupt. And although UHF did find a huge cult audience when it hit video, the tape has been out of print for several years. It was about time they put this bastard out on DVD. It's great shit.

For those who haven't seen UHF, it's basically about a weird guy (played by guess who) that inherits a small public access television station in Arizona. When his zany programming starts to infringe on the ratings of the bigger channels in town, one executive (masterfully portrayed by the late Kevin McCarthy) sets out to destroy the little station. That's pretty much it. UHF's strength lies in Al's sizeable comic abilities, and the amazingly hilarious supporting cast of oddballs. A pre-SEINFELD Michael Richards is the greatest thing about the movie. His character, Janitor Stanley Spadowski, is responsible for several of the most memorable bits of dialogue. I never get tired of seeing Stanley. And the scene with comedian Emo Phillips as the shop teacher who mutilates himself on-camera is one of the funniest moments in comic film history.

So how does the DVD stack up?

MGM really went all-out and made this one of the best deals ever. Not only is UHF a steal at $9.99, but the special features are pretty vast. #1 would have to be the commentary by Al and his manager Jay Levy (who directed UHF as well as many of Al's music videos). I was laughing constantly. You really get to see how spontaneously funny Al really can be. Plus, the track is extremely informative about the production itself as well. Michael Richards shows up a couple times to offer some of his insights on the film, and he is a total crack-up too. Emo Phillips makes a brief appearance on the commentary as well, and Victoria Jackson adds her two cents via telephone. This was one of the best commentary tracks I have ever heard.

Al hosts a huge selection of deleted scenes, offering several funny observations as to why they were cut. The quality of these scenes is pretty sucky though. Apparently they came from some old VHS tape that Al has had in his closet for the last 13 years. But I'm not complaining. You get more of Emo's scene and more of Stanley, so that alone kicks ass.

There's also a very short "Making Of" feature, a collection of promotional materials & still photos, the very funny music video for the song "UHF" (the song is annoying as hell but the video is a great spoof of many of the big '80s videos), some great animated menus, and 3 rather uneventful easter eggs.

UHF rates a 5 out of a possible 5. The movie is wonderful, and deserving of such great DVD treatment. At last!!!

(7.22.02)