‘Freaky Tales’ review: Offbeat Oakland adventures

Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jay Ellis lead the anthology film Freaky Tales, a gleefully naughty affair that blends humor and heart in equal measures.

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden are not household names, but their work meant a great deal to an indie-loving teenager who came of age in the 2000s. Particularly with films like Half Nelson, Sugar, and Mississippi Grind, Boden and Fleck tackled interpersonal and hard-fought characters struggling to find themselves in their troubled lives. Along with the agreeably slight It’s Kind of a Funny Story, they’ve dug a nice groove as small, mild-mannered storytellers who can tell varied tales in their distinct, heartfelt ways. And yet, if you were to look at their filmography, there’s a good chance you know them best for one of the highest-grossing movies of the late 2010s: Captain Marvel, which is also their weakest feature.

Now, that’s not to say that the Marvel origin story is some slight against cinema, as an ugly little subsection of loud-mouth naysayers like to say. It’s fine for what it is, but it’s also not a film that plays into the strengths of its estimated filmmakers. Despite some modest efforts to make it their own, particularly in the ways that it also explores lost identity and finding oneself, the superhero blockbuster is simply a cog in a very big, very expansive, very lumbering moviemaking machine. It’s not their fault. They did what they could with the assignment. But for what will always be known as their most-watched feature, it’s disappointing that the one from filmmakers exploring characters with crises of identity is the one with its own identity crisis.

With that all said, for several different reasons, I was among the few eagerly awaiting Fleck and Boden’s return to small(er)-scale cinema. While their latest movie, Freaky Tales, isn’t a return to their previous heights, it’s refreshing to see the filmmaking team tackle a genre movie that’s far more inspired and alive than their last. Though it’s not without its apparent stumbles, particularly in navigating a tone that bounces between darkly comedic, violent-but-earnest, and even little bites of tender wholesomeness in a few select moments, this genre-bending R-rated romp is a winner more often than not.

Notes from the past.

Set in Oakland in 1987 and sequenced in four chapters, Freaky Tales interlocks real locations and historical events into a wicked smoothie of punk-rock goofiness. In a touch that curiously bridges the gap between their old work and their semi-recent blockbuster, Boden and Fleck’s new film has a buoyant graphic novel feel throughout. Particularly in how it allows us to follow the lives of punk teenagers (Ji-young Yoo, Jack Champion) who form a meet-cute relationship while attempting to bust some neo-nazi skulls, rap-duo best friends, Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne), as they get a chance to battle one of the Bay Area’s notable freestylers, and Clint (Pedro Pascal), a criminal completing one last job to get out of the game now caught in tragedy.

Along the way, as teased throughout the movie, a fourth chapter centers around local basketball legend Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis), who finds his professional high and personal low on the same night and vows revenge on those who have caused his suffering. It’s a collection of anthologized stories about underdogs — to various degrees — who find themselves given a chance at glory, redemption, revenge, or retaliation on the same night. All thanks to an odd green glow that flows throughout the town of Oakland. It’s not especially clean or consistent work, and does borrow a little too much from ‘80s/’90s cinema (namely Pulp Fiction) to really feel true to itself or fully indebted to its directors.

Still, following the mild disappointment of their Marvel enterprise, it’s immensely rewarding to see these talented, underappreciated filmmakers get another chance to make a movie on their terms. It’s pulpy, goofy, cheeky, lively work. While it does take a little time to get comfortable with itself, particularly when it comes to its third and fourth chapters, it comes together in all the ways that you hope a new Fleck-Boden film would. And when it discovers itself, it’s a total blast.

The power of Pascal.

The fourth segment has the benefit of being the most entertaining, particularly with Boden-Fleck borrowing once again from the Tarantino playbook (in this case, Kill Bill). But the third segment, centered around a broken-hearted Pascal as a man who has always lived on the edge, figuring out what to do when his life falls apart in front of him, gives the movie its soft, glowing little heart.

As someone who has consistently been wary of Pascal’s rising star power, I’m relieved that Freaky Tales lends him a starring role that showcases his promise and potential. He brings a screen presence that is both coarse and soft, allowing him to play into the hardened grit of his fists-for-hire lawbreaker but also showcase his open-hearted sincerity as a performer, giving us a taste of the two sides he could bring as a star. Much like his work in Pedro Almodóvar’s short film, Strange Way of Life, Freaky Tales allows the actor to lean into his masculinity and subvert expectations in soft-hearted, searching ways.

The bottom line.

Furthermore, especially in these politically divisive ways, it’s maybe a little cheap to score the audience’s endearment by showing nazis getting their heads kicked in. But hey, what can you say? We need to see that as much as ever, so Freaky Tales does the nazi-punching trick. Give credit where it’s due. As a blend of their past efforts — comic-book goofiness, young-adult romance, seedy gambling personalities, and even a winning sports story — Freaky Tales is the kooky little smoothie blend of a movie that rewards anyone, like me, who’ve followed these filmmakers with renewed interest. Hopefully, they have another Half Nelson or Mississippi Grind inside them to level up to their previous heights. But after their small stumble, Freaky Tales is a rousing return.

Freaky Tales is now playing in select theaters. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Lionsgate. Read more articles by Will Ashton here.

Will Ashton