Review: UHF

21 years ago, a film was released in theaters, and the world, as we know it was changed forever.

That movie was UHF.

Staring and written by the incomparable “Weird Al” Yankovic, UHF features a glimpse into what goes on in the mind of the world’s greatest accordion player.

Yankovic plays George Newman. A man whose imagination affects his ability to hold down a job, but when his Uncle Harvey wins a UHF station in a Poker game, and at the behest of Harvey’s wife, George is given control of the station, Channel 62. Aided by his best friend Bob, played by David Bowe (A Few Good Men, The Rock)

After trying his hardest to run things, the station is in debt, and the workload is getting to him, George has a breakdown on the set of “Uncle Nutzy’s Clubhouse” and leaves hosting duties to Stanley Spadowski, the station’s janitor, played my Michael Richards (Seinfeld), so that George can get a drink at a bar. By the time they reach the bar, Stanley has turned the show into a hit.

The new show Stanley Spadowski’s Clubhouse becomes an instant hit, and becomes the flagship show of the station. The popularity of Channel 62 starts to grow, much to the chagrin of the Network affiliate, and its seedy owner, R.J. Fletcher, played by Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Looney Tunes: Back in Action).

The film itself was made for a paltry $5 million, and although it managed to make more than its budget, the film was not considered a success. The release of the film, co-incited with a number of releases at the same time, such as Batman, Lethal Weapon 2 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In addition, Orion, the film’s distributor was going bankrupt at the time. The film has received a “Cult Status” among fans.

Yankovic’s influence is apparent throughout the film. The characters are very likable, and it’s amazing, given when it was released that it pre-dates the success of both Michael Richards, as well as Fran Drescher (The Nanny, Beautician and the Beast).

The film was a collector’s item for a while, since there was no one to distribute it, while it was on VHS, and even during the early days of DVD. MGM purchased the rights to it, and released it on DVD in 2002, nowadays, you could probably find it in a bargain bin somewhere like Wal-Mart, or at least get it for less than $10.

The film is one of my personal favorites of all time, and I would go as far to say that it is in my top 10 favorite films. Sure, the film is a little dated, but many of the films of the 1980s are.

I give UHF 10 out of 10.