By George & Josh Bate
Although others had previously experimented with a cinematic storytelling approach involving non-linear and intersecting vignettes or chapters focused on different characters, Quentin Tarantino is often cited as the filmmaker who popularized this structure with the 1994 classic Pulp Fiction. Distinct chapters akin to short films that overlap with other distinct chapters focusing on different characters with plot threads and character appearances tying back to other chapters made for a thrilling viewing experience with Pulp Fiction, one that numerous filmmakers attempted to replicate since. As the saying goes, “good artists create, great artists recreate.” Some of these attempts to reproduce the magic of Pulp Fiction have proven engaging (such as Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale), despite the lack of novelty in their narrative structure. Others, however, find less success. And, unfortunately, the new Lionsgate film Freaky Tales finds itself in the latter category.
From writer/director duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Freaky Tales takes place in Oakland, California in 1987 and unfolds as four chapters depicting interconnected stories. Blending action, comedy, drama, and sci-fi, the film dabbles in all sorts of genres and sports an all-star ensemble that includes Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Tom Hanks, and Dominique Thorne.
Whether considered as isolated chapters or pieces that comprise a grander film, Freaky Tales crumbles under the weight of its creators’ lofty ambitions. After helming one of the poorest outings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Captain Marvel, Boden and Fleck return to familiar territory with a more unusual, indie-type film here, and it is clear from the opening seconds that the duo are trying to make a statement that their latest outing is special and stylized. The film features quirky dialogue and characters, animated interludes and interjections, an unexplained green supernatural substance that pops up throughout, and more that reflect the extent to which the directors attempt to make their film singular and stand out. In the absence of much narrative weight, indeed, Freaky Tales is certainly ‘style-over-substance’ in a nutshell but its style lacks the creativity to leave any lasting impression. As a result, Freaky Tales succeeds with neither its style nor substance.
The four chapters may moderately hold one’s interest, although their disjointedness and mundanity derail the film. The first chapter focuses on a group of young adults who stage a rebellion against a group of violent neo-Nazis. The second chapter focuses on an aspiring rap duo (played by Normani and Dominique Thorne), who try to make it big by beating the rapper Too Short in a rap battle. The third chapter stars Pedro Pascal as a fixer who is trying to leave his life of crime behind. And the fourth chapters sees Jay Ellis play NBA player Sleepy Floyd in the aftermath of a deadly robbery of his home. There is nothing conceptually wrong with any of the premises of these chapters, and yet each ultimately features so little that compels. The first chapter is afforded some grace given that the film is just beginning and it is unclear how all the chapters will eventually weave together. As the film progresses, however, patience wanes. A decidedly uninteresting second chapter rendered narratively pointless come the conclusion of the film is briefly offset by a third chapter with more potential, largely due to the screen presence of Pedro Pascal and the more serious tone. However, it all unravels in a bonkers, Kill Bill-inspired fourth chapter that swings for the fences and greatly misses. Come the end of the film, one is left with disappointment at what could have been and frustration at how little of the preceding 100 minutes came together.
The little that does come together is primarily attributed to the strength of its actors. As mentioned, Pedro Pascal, who is seemingly the most in-demand actor in the film industry, adds sudden weight and stakes to Freaky Tales, especially after a lackluster second chapter. This third chapter is by far the darkest of the four, a refreshing departure from the tonally muddled other chapters, and sees Pascal’s character go through immense emotional turmoil. Alone and expanded, this third chapter may have made for a compelling drama, but it concludes prematurely before briefly and unsatisfactorily picking up with Pascal’s character again in the fourth chapter.
Featuring in a brief cameo during the third chapter is Tom Hanks. The iconic actor plays a video store owner who has good taste for movies and is unafraid to impart that taste upon his customers. Hanks’ character will likely mirror the cinephile nature of many of Freaky Tales’ viewers and spouts some great dialogue about the best underdog movies of all time. The inclusion of Hanks reflects a broader issue with Boden and Fleck’s film – there are shards of greatness here, although consistency in quality and captivation is distinctly lacking.
Another actor who excels here is Ben Mendelsohn. The Australian actor known for his role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and his previous collaborations with Boden and Fleck plays an unnerving police officer with secret ties to a neo-Nazi group. Mendelsohn has made a career out of playing villains and Freaky Tales shows once again why this is the case. Few actors play antagonists with the understated flare and unsettling tone as Mendelsohn. There’s always something slightly heightened about his villains but their groundedness in reality and Mendelsohn’s commitment to the villainy makes them work so well. This is certainly the case in Freaky Tales, although Mendelsohn, like others in the stacked ensemble, is underused.
Those with ties to or reverence for Oakland and the Bay Area, especially in the 1980s, will find Freaky Tales’ embrace of this culture and time period to be one of the film’s better elements. As we are not from the Bay Area, much of the love and care that went into recreating this culture and time period likely went over our heads, which will likely be the case with many others who similarly lack a connection to this area.
What should be (but unfortunately won’t be) more universally appealing is Freaky Tales’ staunchly anti-Nazi stance. Boden and Fleck approach the group of neo-Nazis that feature in the film as comically evil, justifiably not leaving even the slightest margin for empathy to creep in. Much like the response Tarantino elicited when Hitler and an array of Nazis were obliterated in Inglorious Basterds, there is something so simply delightful about seeing Nazis get what’s coming to them in Freaky Tales. Do Foden and Flick have much more to say about this topic, other than Nazis are bad guys? No. But the messaging, albeit simple, is effective.
Finally, any review of Freaky Tales would be incomplete without mentioning the film’s strange and underdeveloped supernatural element. The film begins with an opening crawl (narrated by Too Short) that details how a green, other-worldly substance has appeared in Oakland. Throughout the proceeding film, this substance glows and shines, whether it be through the eyes of a character, on the blade of a weapon, or on a public bus that perplexingly flies into the sky. This supernatural element feels like Boden and Fleck’s most overt attempt to make their film unique, although this plot device is woefully underexplored. Even when the fourth and final chapter integrates it a bit more centrally, the green glow is so head-scratchingly random and lacking in any narrative or symbolic purpose.
VERDICT: 4.5/10
Freaky Tales sees writer/director duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck stumble in their attempt to ambitiously assert their uniqueness as filmmakers after a mundane MCU outing. Replicating the chapter structure and nonlinearity of Pulp Fiction without any of the magic that made Tarantino’s signature film so special, Freaky Tales features a conventional first chapter, a flat second chapter, and a darker and promising third chapter before completely unraveling with a bonkers fourth chapter that affirms how tonally muddled the film is. The disjointedness of these chapters and their failure to come together cohesively is coupled with flat efforts to stylize, meaning the film succeeds with neither style nor substance. The most overt and, in turn, the most botched form of stylization and novelty comes in the form of an underdeveloped green supernatural glow that features prominently throughout the film without ever serving any discernible aesthetic, narrative, or symbolic purpose. Strong performances from Pedro Pascal and Ben Mendelsohn, in addition to a great cameo by Tom Hanks, prove to be the film’s most outstanding qualities, while its treatment of neo-Nazi antagonists elicits simplistic delight. Commendable for its ambition, but ultimately misfiring with its storytelling and style, Freaky Tales fails to earn its name as the freakiest thing about this film is its squandering of a talented cast and interesting ingredients.