The Big Picture

Jay Ellis, Normani, and Dominique Thorne deliver standout performances in Freaky Tales. The film fully embraces the 1980s vibe, with a fearless approach to bloody and violent scenes. Not all the stories mesh well together, with different tones that don’t quite fit, even with the star power of Pascal.

You know that saying, “the city is its own character?” Well, while normally that city is New York City, in Freaky Tales, the beating heart of this wild film is the Bay Area. Dipping into a world of magical realism, the freaky tales actually consist of four stories that are interwoven together throughout a few days in Oakland, California. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, two Sundance alumni, the filmmaking duo is perhaps best known for their work on Captain Marvel. But if you’re looking for a family-friendly double feature after watching Carol Danvers kick butt, Freaky Tales is not that movie.

Freaky Tales Four interconnected stories set in 1987 Oakland, CA. will tell about the love of music, movies, people, places and memories beyond our knowable universe. Release Date January 18, 2024 Director Anna Boden , Ryan Fleck Runtime 106 minutes Main Genre Drama

What Is ‘Freaky Tales’ About?
The four stories kick off with the first chapter, “The Gilman Strikes Back.” Tina (Ji-Young Yoo) and Lucid (Jack Champion) are a pair of punks who enjoy moshing and listening to their favorite ska punk band. But their fun is cut short when their local club is attacked by a bunch of Nazi skinheads. Yep, you heard that right. Tired of taking their bullying and harassment, Tina, Lucid, and their gang of punks decide to fight back.

The second chapter is titled “Don’t Fight the Feeling” where we follow two rappers named Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne). By day, they fend off the creepy cop who comes into their ice cream parlor, and by night they are the rap duo known as Danger Zone. On their journey to get their big break, they end up battling real-life Bay Area artist (and executive producer on the film) Too Short.

The third chapter is called “Born to Mack” and here we follow Clint (Pedro Pascal), an enforcer for a local criminal. In an attempt to retire and start his life, his past comes back to haunt him, and he is forced to face the violence he’s wrought upon his victims in a devastating moment.

Then, the final chapter is “The Legend of Sleepy Floyd.” This features a fictionalized version of NBA player Sleepy Floyd (played by Jay Ellis in the film) during the Warriors’ run in the 1987 playoffs. After defeating the Lakers and setting an NBC record, Floyd returns home to horrors. He exacts revenge in glorious fashion on a countless number of coked-up skinheads — one of them being the late Angus Cloud who plays a henchman named Travis.

‘Freaky Tales’ Is Full of Stand-Out Performances and Star-Studded Cameos
Whether it’s Bay Area natives like Tom Hanks and Marshawn Lynch popping up on screen or it’s Ben Mendelsohn menacingly eating an ice cream cone, Freaky Tales doesn’t lack fantastic performances. The biggest draw for the movie will undoubtedly be Pascal, who has not only been on a hot streak recently but is something of a pop culture darling. However, while he definitely turns on the brood and plays the brawling henchman well, it’s Ellis, Normani, and Thorne who take the cake.

Entice and Barbie are immediately likable as Barbie calls out and flips off a group of skinheads (yes, those same skinheads). And when she and Entice get a chance to rap battle against Too Short, it seems too good to be true. But when butterflies and nerves threaten to ruin it all, Entice steps up and steps into her full power. It’s a delight to watch Too Short performing “Don’t Fight the Feelin'” on stage, but it’s even better when it’s Normani and Dominique Thorne embodying the real Danger Zone duo. It helps that Normani has that star power as a musician herself, but she doesn’t falter in the acting department either.

But the best performance and most entertaining segment of Freaky Tales has to be when we finally meet Ellis’ Sleepy Floyd. I don’t think watching someone kill Nazis will ever get old, but if there was an award for killing Nazis in the most stylish way, it would go to Ellis. Ellis says that he had no martial arts training before the film, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that by watching the movie. He wields katanas, daggers, and little throwing stars like a pro, emulating both Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game of Death and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.

‘Freaky Tales’ Falters in Hammering Home Any Deeper Message
Image via Sundance

If you’re looking for some deeper ideas or perhaps some thoughtful truth to gather by the end of Freaky Tales, you might be searching in vain. There are some attempts at a social message — something about punk kids and a Black athlete fighting Nazis — but it feels like in the battle between vibes or message for this flick, vibes won.

The movie isn’t just set in the 1980s, but it embodies it in every way from its dialogue to its characters’ costumes and the way it is shot. There’s a loving attention paid to Oakland that is sure to warm the hearts of natives who watch this film. But at times, Freaky Tales can feel a little too lost in the past. Dialogue can feel cheesy or hokey. In particular, the third story with Clint feels somewhat out of place in comparison to the other three. One explores the punk scene, the other the hip-hop scene, and the third the NBA Warriors team.

Clint’s story feels out of place and the movie doesn’t give enough time for us to explore it. If he was played by someone less charming than Pedro Pascal, he might have stuck out even more like a sore thumb. There’s potential in his chapter for a more nuanced crime story, something a bit more serious. But that potential is lost when you step back from the film into an odd framing device surrounding vague magical realism. New age philosophy and actual magic play a guiding hand and, while it serves to make the movie weirder, it doesn’t necessarily make it better.

Ultimately, Freaky Tales works if you don’t look too hard at it. It’s a fun time and some of the most extreme scenes will make you forget any plot holes or inconsistencies. It won’t win awards, but that doesn’t mean there’s not something to love in this wacky love letter to Oakland.

Freaky Tales REVIEWA bloody and violent love letter to Oakland that stumbles but still entertains. ProsJay Ellis, Normani, and Dominique Thorne have stand out performances, particularly in an action sequence and a rap battle scene. The movie fully leans into the vibe of the 1980s and isn’t afraid to be bloody or violent. ConsNot all of the stories mesh well together, with some having a vastly different tone than the others. The magical realism element of the film doesn’t make much sense and hinders the movie.

Freaky Tales had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.