UHF (1989)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Jay Levey

Writers:

'Weird Al' Yankovic (written by) &
Jay Levey (written by)

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

TV as it was meant to be seen. In a movie theatre.

Plot:

A local public station gets a new owner. The station becomes a hit, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags and wacky humor.

Plot Keywords:

Television Station | Television | Kidnapping | Part Computer Animation | Stop Motion Animation

Cast

'Weird Al' Yankovic	...	George Newman
Victoria Jackson	...	Teri
Kevin McCarthy	...	R.J. Fletcher
Michael Richards	...	Stanley Spadowski
David Bowe	...	Bob
Stanley Brock	...	Uncle Harvey
Anthony Geary	...	Philo
Trinidad Silva	...	Raul Hernandez
Gedde Watanabe	...	Kuni
Billy Barty	...	Noodles MacIntosh
John Paragon	...	Richard Fletcher
Fran Drescher	...	Pamela Finklestein
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Aunt Esther
David Proval	...	Head Thug
Grant James	...	Killer Thug

Also Known As:

The Vidiot from UHF

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #29692) | UK:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Channel 8 - 6655 S. Lewis, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Company:

Cinecorp SAC

Trivia:

EASTER EGG: On the Special Features menu, select the "Watch for Falling Rocks" sign (using the remote, select Commentary, then go left) to see footage of Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards) in its original form (in the film, it's part of the U-62 promo commercial). This works on both sides of the DVD (standard and widescreen).

Goofs:

Continuity: Before the shot in which Kuni changes the board to read $75,000, you can see the board changing to read $75,000 over the crowd in the preceding shot.

Quotes:

Philo: Hello, my name is Philo and welcome to Secrets of the Universe. Today we are going to learn how to make plutonium from common household items.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Postal 2 (2002) (VG)

Soundtrack:

MONEY FOR NOTHING / BEVERLY HILLBILLIES

fun--just pain stupid fun

At times we all can be dreadfully serious when it comes to movies. I know I can be--based on many of my other IMDb reviews, it's obvious I can be critical and occasionally too serious.

Because of this, I am glad there are really funny and stupid movies like this one. While not as sophisticated as The Producers or as wacky as Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it is one of the best "turn off your brain and just have fun movies".

The movie can be very amateurish at times and some jokes fall flat. However, the incredible energy and originality of the film make it very endearing. Unfortunately, it is too often just tossed aside as a "dumb movie" by many who just don't give it a chance. So my advice is to sit tight--don't turn it off! Allow yourself to wade through the slower first 1/4 of the movie so you can get to the GOLD, such as Gandhi 2, Conan the Librarian, or the commercials for cut rate funerals or for Spatula City! Feeling depressed or in a funk? See this film to cure what ails you!