The Best 80s Wacky Comedy With A Beloved Star Finally Gets Much-Needed Upgrade
The hit off-the-wall film UHF is finally receiving a long-overdue 4K release on Blu-ray, currently available to preorder before its official release on July 2. The film, which hasn’t had a proper 4K remastering until now, stars Weird Al Yankovic, and is widely regarded as a cult classic. Physical copies of UHF were instrumental in spreading the film’s influence, as the initial theatrical run bombed at the box office and failed to wow critics.
Writing UHF
UHF was written by Weird Al and his manager Jay Levey, with Levey also serving as the film’s director. The pair first agreed to collaborate on a film vehicle for Weird Al after his album sales began to skyrocket in the mid 80s. The movie is structured in such a way that Al could transition from multiple music video parodies built within a loosely structured frame narrative, similar to the way 1980’s Airplane utilizes barely-connected vignettes to create a tapestry of sketch comedy.
After writing the script for UHF, Yankovic and Levey struggled to get major studios to invest, despite Weird Al’s popular appeal. After more than 3 years of searching, the team were eventually able to connect with producers Gene Kirkwood and John W. Hyde of the now-defunct Orion Pictures, who agreed to fund up to $5 million for the movie.
The Cast
UHF touts a star-studded cast of actors and comedians, headed by Yankovic himself. Other performers who round out the cast include Emo Philips, David Bowe, Anthony Geary, Gedde Watanabe, Michael Richards, The Sopranos‘ David Proval, and The Nanny‘s Fran Drescher. Jerry Seinfeld and Crispin Glover were also considered for roles in the film, but ultimately opted out for various reasons.
George Is King Of The Castle
The plot of UHF centers on an unemployed slacker named George Newman, who manages to take control of an ultra high frequency analog television broadcasting band after his uncle wins the station in a poker match. For a semi-modern contextualization, the UHF channels of the 1980s were essentially public access TV, which allowed low-budget air time for a myriad of ventures. Before George takes over the station, it mostly plays old reruns of decades-old television shows, though low viewership figures allow him the unique opportunity to display just about anything he wants.
George Makes Progress
After partnering with a disgruntled former janitor of a major TV station, George creates a series of nutty shows for a wide array of audiences, allowing Weird Al to shoehorn a number of wacky comedy tracks into the film, complete with music videos. Before long, the UHF channel begins to increase its viewership, and actually starts to churn out hits, enraging the gatekeepers of television media who run competing stations.
The Upgrade Will Be Here Soon
Despite being considered a classic with hindsight, UHF was such a massive bomb upon release that it faltered Weird Al Yankovic’s career for several years to follow. Today the film holds a 61 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a 77 percent audience score, proving that the movie is still a bit controversial among critics. For those interested in catching the film in crisp 4k HD, the latest rerelease will be available to purchase on July 2.
To learn more about UHF, check out the in-depth discussion at GenreVision.
Source: blu-ray.com
