FREAKY TALES Review

Neither Anna Boden nor Ryan Fleck, the writers and directors of Freaky Tales, hail from the Oakland area where their latest feature is set but Fleck grew-up in Berkeley and was eleven years-old in 1987 - when the film is set - indicating this is more a passion project for Fleck and something more akin to a challenge or an insight for Boden. Fittingly, the dynamic between the filmmakers - the homecourt advantage for Fleck and visitor status of Boden - is imbued in the final project as Freaky Tales fittingly straddles the line between being an underdog tale while understanding domination is the more appealing perception in the real world. Still, when it comes to the stories - or excuse me, tales - the underdogs continue to stand as the more inspiring option with this line of thought being present from the opening scroll of Boden and Fleck's latest.

Narrated by Too $hort with the film itself taking its title from the MC's 1989 track, we're told that Oakland in '87 was "hella wild"; the people, the culture, the music - it didn't matter - the descriptor applied to all. $hort also informs us the reason for everything feeling so fresh likely had something to do with a "bright green glow" that felt akin to an electricity in the air but clarifies said glowing green was not the same color as the city's "underdog A's uniforms". What the "bright green glow" might symbolize or represent is of course up to interpretation and will likely vary based on age and relation to the time and place at the heart of the film but broadly, it's meant to be something of a vibe incarnate; an embodiment of the attitude of Oakland at the time that lends each of the characters in each of the featured vignettes the swag necessary to convince us there's something a tad atypical or "freaky" about these tales that are otherwise as old as time.

Boden and Fleck split their script into four chapters, each chronicling a different group of people or individuals largely on the same night in the dead of summer '87. The first chapter follows a group of teenagers who have integrated themselves into the local punk scene - namely Lucid (Jack Champion) and Tina (Ji-young Yoo) - whose clique at the local music club finds themselves in a war with a gang of skinheads’ intent on taking over their territory. Presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio with enough grain to make a wheat farmer jealous, the budding relationship between Lucid and Tina doesn't really get the attention one would expect or that it requires to develop further, but as a smaller part of a bigger arc this piece of the puzzle has enough support via the eclectic personalities that make-up the club staff, security, and entertainment that it captures that essential attitude in order to both distinguish itself as well as gel with the rest of the ensemble. The second chapter also centers on a duo, but the story doesn't extend itself to a cause bigger than the characters at the heart of it. Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne) form a hip-hop group known as Danger Zone who are presented with an opportunity to collaborate with $hort (played in the film by DeMario Symba Driver) at one of his upcoming shows in a "rap battle" type segment. Personally, I could watch an entire Danger Zone film yet unfortunately this second segment only lasts as long as the rest before moving on to Pedro Pascal's hitman named Clint who is on his "one last job" before settling down kick and eventually closing out with "The Legend of Sleepy Floyd" who was a real basketball player in the eighties and is portrayed by Jay Ellis of Top Gun: Maverick fame.

The final two chapters extend into more broad movie conventions as they, by default of the structure, are tasked more with creating character arcs and tying each of the chapters or vignettes together which inherently takes away from the more intimate, slice of life character pieces we get in the first half of the film. This isn't to say Pascal isn't his traditionally charming self or that the period basketball influence doesn't add a cool edge to the proceedings, but the pacing does come to something of a halt once we hit the third chapter. Interestingly, this third chapter is titled "Born to Mack" which is also the title of Too $hort's 1989 album that features the titular song as well as the rap battle sequence featuring samples of songs off his other album from 1989, "Life is...Too $hort". Interesting because $hort may or may not be entitled to a writing credit (he does serve as an executive producer) as the rapper not only provided his music to Fleck for use in the movie, but shows up in a supporting role, serves as the narrator, and seemingly serves as a major inspiration to the writer/director in such a large capacity that one might say $hort curated Fleck's memories of these moments from his childhood that allow for Fleck to create in Freaky Tales the kind of memory lane exercise to such a precise extent that the collaboration and process of piecing the project together would seem to have become as much an indelible experience as those he is recounting. Though the film is entertaining in its hyper-stylized and elevated aspects of reality I almost wish Boden and Fleck might have explored their underdog themes through the circles one or two of their characters run in here rather than feeling the need to add the supernatural, almost Ghostbusters-esque tone via the "bright green glow" that made everything then feel different while being used here to make this feel distinct from the wave of eighties nostalgia pieces the public has been surfing since the arrival of Stranger Things.

Emphasizing the music aspect more is what I assume are Boden and Fleck's soundtrack selections. I respect that the filmmakers decided to spend more of their budget on music licensing - hitting us with Metallica, E-40, and Yarbrough & Peoples in the film's climax - rather than re-creating an NBA game and the necessary atmosphere that comes with and honestly, I appreciate it. That this is not the sole focus of the film and that the themes do not spill out of the music itself in addition to the struggles and mentalities of those creating it is unfortunate as the plight to make this about individual underdogs who believe they can do the impossible feel strained and...somewhat tacked on. Not that it is an afterthought entirely but more they realized this throughline after putting together the list of "must-haves" they wanted to include. To this point, a running joke about Tom Hanks selling hot dogs at A's games leads to an admittedly impressive cameo by Hanks himself as the owner of a video store who lectures Pascal's Clint about the top five underdog movies of all time. Hanks is great, as always, but what's most telling is that the bit comes off like one. Added after the fact, Hanks clearly dropped into the production for a few hours, wardrobe didn't have time to do much other than change his clothes, and as a result Hanks feels like a man out of time - not someone who couldn't stop talking about David Lynch in 1987 - a character who doesn't exist in the universe to make it more credible but to make the movie outside the universe as such. 

Sure, the budget restrictions are sometimes apparent (the ADR in Ben Mendelsohn's first scene is particularly egregious) but it's the dressing up of what Boden and Fleck, but especially Fleck, really wanted to make in an attempt to diversify the genre that ultimately makes the film feel cheaper than the production values do. If you're going to clone it, hone it, but don't disown it. Still, it is unfair to say Freaky Tales isn't enjoyable as it entertains by enticing even if it doesn't necessarily deliver a satisfying climax. I'm happy to have seen the film if, for nothing else, becoming aware of Evelyn Champagne King's "Love Come Down" yet will always wonder what more Oakland's own Marshawn Lynch had to do in the original concept as he shows up here for three seconds only to add more pieces to this puzzle of a movie that doesn't always fit together.