Freaky Tales

by Mike McGranaghan

I’m not sure the makers of Freaky Tales know what the word “freaky” really means. Only one of the tales in this anthology film, based on the music of rapper Too $hort, even comes close to qualifying for that adjective. You might reasonably walk in expecting a Twilight Zone-style journey through the ironic and strange. Instead, it’s a tribute to Oakland, California in 1987, with parts inspired by actual (non-freaky) people and events. Ryan Fleck, who co-directed with Anna Boden, grew up in that period, but despite a personal connection, the movie does little to convey whatever magic he felt was in the air at that time.

Four intersecting stories are told here. The first details a group of punk music enthusiasts who unite to defend their favorite club against the Nazi gang that keeps invading it. The second is about two aspiring female rappers (Dominique Thorne and R&B singer Normani) getting a chance to perform onstage with Too $hort. Story #3 involves a debt collector (Pedro Pascal) facing the repercussions of a violent act from his past. The film wraps up with an utterly bizarre tale in which NBA All-Star Sleepy Floyd (Jay Ellis) turns into a martial arts killing machine after a triumphant basketball game. This is the one that’s semi-freaky.

Tying everything together is a mysterious green glow that appears in each segment at some point, implying an unseen energy pushing the characters toward new levels of success. Or at least implying that Fleck and Boden have seen Repo Man.

The flaws in Freaky Tales are right up front. The first tale has a payoff but no set-up. Conversely, the tale involving the rappers is all set-up, with no payoff. The debt collector’s tale is long and drawn out, with an abrupt ending that leaves you hanging. (In fairness, it contains the movie’s best scene – a humorous cameo from an A-list movie star/Oscar winner playing a chatty video store clerk). Sleepy Floyd’s story finally unleashes mayhem with a series of violent, over-the-top martial arts fights. By then, it’s too little, too late.

Fleck and Boden are good filmmakers, having previously made Captain Marvel and the excellent Half Nelson. Their inspirations for this movie are too esoteric to have wide appeal, though. None of the individual stories possess enough eccentricity to fully draw you in. There are diminishing returns; the longer things go on, the less interesting they become. Had the tales indeed been freakier, or at least had more of a hook, the experience of sitting through them might have been more fun.

What we’re left with is an admittedly sleek ‘80s-era atmosphere and a few decent performances. The actors, Pascal in particular, certainly give their best efforts. A disjointed approach and overall narrative weakness undermine them at every step. Freaky Tales is a movie with an ambitious concept that it has no clue how to bring to life.

---