Freaky Tales (film)

Freaky Tales is a 2024 American drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film stars Pedro Pascal, Boden and Fleck's longtime collaborator Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Dominique Thorne, singer Normani in her film debut, Jack Champion, and Angus Cloud in one of his final roles.

Premise
The film depicts four interconnected stories taking place at real locations and during real historical events in 1987 Oakland, California.

Cast

 * Pedro Pascal as Clint
 * Jay Ellis as Sleepy Floyd
 * Normani as Entice
 * Dominique Thorne as Barbie
 * Ben Mendelsohn as The Guy
 * Ji-young Yoo as Tina
 * Angus Cloud as Travis
 * Jack Champion as Lucid
 * Keir Gilchrist
 * Michael X. Sommers
 * Yong Kim
 * Mike Infante
 * Marteen
 * Michelle Farrah Huang
 * Natalia Dominguez
 * Sedrick Cabrera
 * D'Angelo Mixon
 * James Coker
 * Tom Hanks as Video Store Employee
 * Too Short as Narrator
 * Sleepy Floyd

Production
It was announced in August 2022 that Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck would be writing and directing the film. It is based on Fleck's memories of growing up in Oakland, California in the 1980s, and be a celebration of the city's culture. Oakland musician Too Short served as an executive producer. In November, Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis were among the cast announced for the film, which also included multiple notable figures from the Oakland area. Ji-young Yoo would join the cast the following month.

Filming began on November 14, 2022 and wrapped on January 12, 2023 in Oakland, with production taking place on Telegraph Avenue.

Release
The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024. Shortly before the premiere, Deadline Hollywood reported that Lionsgate had distribution rights to the film following their acquisition of Entertainment One, who financed the film, although there was still a possibility that another interested distributor could acquire it.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 43 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.2/10, earning it a "Fresh" score. The website's critics consensus reads, "Bold, funny, and overall entertaining, Freaky Tales is a vibrantly well-acted period piece that makes up in style what it lacks in narrative substance." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood praised the film's visuals, makeup, costumes and soundtrack that "immediately immerse the audience in the look and feel of late 80s Oakland." She also wrote positively about "the magnetic performances by its all star cast", in particular of Pascal's. However, she criticized the narrative, writing that it "struggles to weave these stories into a satisfying whole and without these talented players embracing the commitment required, the film would crumble under its own ambition."