Could Billy Bloom be like everyone else if he wanted to? It would certainly save him a whole lot of trouble. But he has absolutely no desire to be like them. When others call him theatrical, he takes it as a compliment; when his classmates feel provoked by his drive to be different, it only motivates him further. 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down', his father warns him. That does not deter Billy from deciding to run for homecoming queen. Somewhere in-between David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Freddy Mercury and Oscar Wilde, in the transgressive space of pop culture and dressed up as a high school comedy with wit, heart and a dazzling cast, Freak Show is about the violence of conformity and the power of self-determination.
16 February 1959, Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany
14 December 1951, Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
12 June 1960, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
14 April 1996, New York City, New York, USA
1 December 1945, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
20 July 1968, New York, USA
29 June 1995, Bronxville, New York, USA
10 February 1960, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
January 08, 2018
Freak Show is a much-needed film that focuses on a gender-nonconforming teen in high school and preaches the message of acceptance and inclusion.January 09, 2018
Bitterly funny and warmly empathetic ...January 01, 2018
Styler's peppy but thin foray into feature direction is especially disappointing following her strong track record as a producer of more singular, stylistically confident indies ...January 11, 2018
There are times when Freak Show seems like a high school film repurposed from other high school films, rather than an authentic vision of life outside Chloë Sevigny's hometown.February 14, 2017
That it unfolds with a near-complete absence of finesse or subtlety probably won't matter a whit to a target audience weaned on Glee.February 15, 2017
Styler's directorial debut isn't the cinematic equivalent of wearing blue jeans, but much of its flash and style - though gorgeously costumed by Colleen Atwood and Sarah Laux - smacks of calculation and imitation rather than real flair.February 15, 2017
At the heart of this tale, and the film's paramount appeal, is the staggeringly impressive turn by Lawther, who manages to be so overtly confident in the role, and yet internally so vulnerable.January 11, 2018
Mr. Lawther is sympathetic and appealing as Billy, but Ms. Styler seems to mistake broad strokes for stylistic daring, and her colorful but diffuse movie never jells.January 12, 2018
Keeps things likeably frothy and delivers nicely on both entertainment and emotional fronts.