User reviews

I stumbled upon this little gem for Pride month. Alex Lawther of the end of the world stars as Billy Bloom a creative and talented young man who finds himself living with his father in a middle American town filled with homophobia. Regardless of what anyone thinks he stays true to himself. After a vicious attack he is saved by the school quarterback and a friendship begins. The boy, Flip is played by the adorable Ian Nelson of the boy next door, tries to help him fit in better but he's commited to being his genuine self. Diva Bette Midler (Beaches) stars as his mother and Abigail Breslin (Zombieland), Anna Sophia Robb (Bridge to Terebithia), Celia Watson (Invasion) and Willa Fitzgerald (MTV's Scream) also star. It's a fun, emotional coming of age flick that's not perfect but is definitely worth a watch.

7.25/10

Cute, fun, movie about being who you truly are. It didn't blow my socks off, but it had some good messages about being independent and brave. Some cliché moments but also some heartfelt ones. And Bette Midler is always fun to see.

I really enjoyed this. I thought it was adapted very well but there were some moments from the book that were excluded from the film which was disappointing. I also thought the casting choice for Lynette wasn't very good but Alex Lawther did an excellent job as Billy.

This is as good as a teenager movie can get. Realising who you are and who your parents and friends are in the most realistic way ever showed. I love that movie. Period.

Trudie Styler's first feature film is about staying loyal to yourself and what you stand for despite being bullied and physically assaulted. That this theme touched a nerve during the Berlinale, where it was shown in the Generation14+ youth section, was clear with a raving audience afterwards and long lines waiting before the cinema.

Bullying is still not taken serious enough in our society: nearly all people have experienced it at some time in their lives, either at work, school, leisure, at home or in the public space. Leading often to violence by the bullied person, or depression and in the worst cases suicide, the latter being the leading cause of death among the age group of 15-25. So this movie will be a good education tool for schools to discuss the theme.

The movie is fluently directed, well edited by Sophia Copolla's frequent editor Sarah Flack, has wonderful costumes and the soundtrack plus score is fitting. Although mostly aimed at a youth audience, Bette Midler and John McEnroe have small roles so the parents aren't left out. The young British actor Alex Lawther (the young Alan Turing in The Imitation Game) played the lead character Billy Bloom and has some future ahead I guess.

There is an interesting parallel with Mean Girls, as the part where Billy analyses his voters and classmates has the same kind of sociological and psychological analysis that made that movie so interesting.

During the Q&A afterwards Trudie talked about how certain bullies receive great power, sometimes even leading to the White House. And bullying is indeed often associated with the so-called dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy).

First off, any review that includes the director's name in the first line or paragraph of the review was clearly written by the movie's publicity department (see all previous reviews before this one).

The movie is about a flamboyantly-dressed high school teen, the bullying he attracts (big surprise there), the kids who befriend him and the witless father figure and absent mother. ...and this movie is dreadful. I was looking forward to a "be your own self" coming of age movie and the trailer looked interesting but this one makes no sense and is as unrealistic as any story could be. None of the relationships are believable, you can't figure out why the school jock would befriend this over-the-top rich kid, and everyone else is a stock stereotype. Even Bette Midler's performance, whose casting also brought me to the movie, is ridiculously over acted. I'm not sure what they intended the film's title to refer to because to call the main character a Freak Show would be bullying in itself and to call the whole thing would be, well...more accurate.

This film main character is my favourite actor: ALEX LAWTHER ,This story is about a boy how to survive in their highschool. He love to dress up himself like a pretty girl.So have many people feel weird of his action and bully him with violence.But he is still considence and insist on being himself.In this story I learned that :Everyone chooses the way they lived ,we can't criticize and judge the other person life. We must give the respect for them.

Freak Show has easily been my most eagerly awaited movie of the past year and when it was finally released I waisted no time in seeing it however I was left deflated and in need of something more, ultimately the story being told is important and deserved a better script, with more fleshed out characters, potrayls, more feeling, emotion, warmth and it was good for what it was but it could have really been special if they had of tried more.

I'm new to the boundfully talented Alex Lawther and I have quickly signed myself up as a fan of his so when I realised that he was the lead in this movie I was thrilled and when you throw in Bette Midler who has been attached to this project since they beginning then I settled myself in for what I expected to be quite the treat of a movie.

Early on in the movie I found myself mesmerized by Lawther, he captivates you with his genuine, awkward, honest and charming potrayal of Billy Bloom. His refreshing and quiet brilliant style of acting with his subtle yet on the money mannerisms, movements and playfulness with the dialogue is wonderful however it's just a shame that all this talent was for the most part waisted on what could have been something really special.

Going in to this movie I wasn't sure what message I was going to get at the end but expected for the movie to be more multi layered than what was offered. I was expecting a world wind of emotion, anger and frustration due to story being told at the heart of the movie being unfairly and frustratingly as real in today's society as it has for generations, they issue and story deserves better and more than a one-dimentional, phone it in movie that overall for me felt like an educational movie that would be played in schools. Were was the backstory and multi-layered characters...why should I believe in and releate to Billy Bloom or get angry or a better understanding of the beliefs of Abigail Breslins character? The characters were flat and stereotypical with no depth. I wanted warmth and emotion from Billy Bloom as he fought to be who he wanted to be...i wanted anger and frustration...tears and fight when he was told he couldn't be who he wanted to be and I have no doubt that given the right material Alex Lawther could have truly shined in this role.

Bette Midler as Muv was really Bette Midler being the usual Bette Midler, her character was a mess and not fully explained and appeared to be a after thought when it came to meaning and point but the same can be said for the rest of the supporting cast who looked to be phoning it in and bored throughout.

Lawther is fabulous but at times can overly theatrical in a way that distracted me from what was happening in a scene, i wanted less costume changes and more storytelling...ok he is flamboyant gay but we didn't need 8-9 costume changes to make that point...less is more and I think the movie relied to much on the visual than the dialogue and meaning of why this story and issue needed to be told.

In the end I wanted less FREAK SHOW and more just good old storytelling...the subject matter deserved a lot more.

I did not enjoy this film at all. What were we meant to learn from it? If people inflict massive amounts of pain on you, you should just turn the other cheek no matter what? Maybe I was expecting too much, but I definitely expected a better film with a cast that included Bette Midler, Laverne Cox, and Alex Lawther.

Alex Lawther's acting is the best thing about this movie. He breathed life into this movie that easily might have been worse.

Kudos to the writers for trying, but this movie suffers from what most teen movies do: one dimensional characters and weak scripts. Almost all of the characters are cardboard cut outs whose actions are predictable - The jock who hates being a jock, the bitchy cheerleader, clueless parents (including Bette Midler's overacted alcoholic mother), the secretly gay bully in love with the protagonist, etc...

There were some genuinely funny moments though.

I WAS HOPING FOR INTERNAL STRUGGLE A LITTLE DEEPER THAN WHAT I SAW. THE MAIN CHARACTER IS FLAT AND BETTE MIDLER'S CHARACTER IS AN EMBARRASSMENT.

This must be adapted into a stage musical. The characters and the situations cry out for musical numbers. And the young demographics are perfect for this material. We have "Mean Girls" and "Kinky Boots" why not this one...It's just so obvious!!!

What an odd little, yet enjoyable movie!

Why fit in - when you were born to stand out?

Weird but entertaining.

At the start of the movie Billy Bloom (Alex Lawther) does come across as being a little too fabulous in his behavior and appearance. I can see why that would be off-putting to many people. And possibly that was the point. We judge others based on first impressions which are almost always superficial because we don't have anything more to consider.

Billy's parents are separated and each show only a shallow, mostly hands-off interest in their son. Florence, the housekeeper, is passively sympathetic and protective, but unable to be meaningfully supportive. Billy is essentially alone and coping with his confused sense of self by being as provocatively freakish as he can be.

When Billy starts at a new school, he deliberately alienates himself from the other students by letting his "freak flag fly" in the most flamboyant way imaginable. He is understandably the target of bullying both trivial and physical.

Then, for reasons not easily understood, he attracts the friendship of one of the school's most popular, decidedly straight, male students, Flip Kelly ( Ian Nelson). Flip becomes the catalyst that helps Billy tone down his provocative, defiant and flamboyant behavior because he is possibly the first person in Billy's life who appears to care for the person beneath all the make-up and glitter.

Yes, the movie is filled with a supporting cast of stereotypical characters, but stereotypes exist for a reason and the exceptional characters are significant because they stand apart. While Billy is purportedly the stellar example of an exceptional person, the most meaningful, influential and exceptional character was Flip Kelly.

Great performance by Alex Lather, but Ian Nelson's acting was "exceptionally" good. Bette Midler lent her name to the cast listing but her appearance in the movie was largely insignificant.

I liked it until they made fun of Trump voters acting like we are all bigots. What a joke of a movie. The main character casting was horrible. There are a ton of cliches and stereotypes that just perpetuate the disconnect with people today. Stop hating, which includes white Trump voters!!! Such hypocrisy

This movie feels like it was made a decade ago or longer. Such a great message and so well done.

This movie had potential. There were scenes that gave me chills down my spine but it was a sprinkle of those scenes on top of the wasted time I spent watching this movie, it wasn't horrible, but It definitely was not good, the acting was mediocre, the plot wasn't there, it was very scattered, somewhat confusing, and extremely over exaggerated. I feel that if a little more time was put into this movie it could've been a masterpiece, but it wasn't.

Just a beautiful lesson ! Loved it ! We should never judge, we should be what we feel even if we're diffrent than majority. It doesn't mean we're weird, just special, out of the crowd. Great lesson ! Great young actor !

Freak Show (2017) was directed by Trudie Styler. It stars Alex Lawther as Billy Bloom, who arrives on his first day at a new high school dressed as Boy George. (We are to understand that this conservative school is in the South. Why would it be called Ulysses S. Grant High School?)

In any case, what happens to Billy in fiction is all too similar to what really happens to students who are different from the norm-- they get bullied, they get hurt, and they become isolated.

However, Billy won't give in. The plot really starts when Billy decides to run for Homecoming Queen.

This is an interesting movie with solid acting, including that by superstar Bette Midler as Billy's mother.

However, you need to be aware that the movie has Young Adult Novel written all over it. And, indeed, it's based on a YA novel by James St. James.

Just because a movie is based on a YA novel doesn't mean that it doesn't have interest or value. I enjoyed the film, which had great costumes and some clever plot twists. It isn't the most subtle film in the series, but it's worth seeing. (It will work almost as well on the small screen.)

We saw this movie in the excellent Dryden Theatre at Rochester's George Eastman Museum. It was shown as the Closing Night Feature of ImageOut, the great LGBT Film Festival. (This was the NYS Premiere screening. How does ImageOut carry that off?)

So this is the 3rd time this month i write a review where the lead is Alex Lawther ,, i mean before even start talking about the plot and all ,, i'm going to head into the cast , The casting was just amazing , Alex Lawther is a huge star in the making ,, i said it before he reminds me of James Mcavoy , his facial expressions !!! his sense of engagement with the scene .. Of course the other members of the cast were really good,, but man this guy just popped like the freak he wanted us to see.

Back to the plot ,, it is partially original ,, southern high school drama dealing with the new coming glamours/fabulous student who wants to challenge everybody by nominating himself for homecoming queen and in the background dealing with his family issues and conflicts,, although the story is not 100% genuine it has an original execution.. even the comedy was stable quick and original which i think made the whole movie look fresh.

Final thought, Hugely recommended.

Outfest closed out this summers festival with a lovely movie called Freak Show, marking the directorial debut of Trudie Styler. Based on the 2007 novel by James St. James, the story follows the teenage years of Billy Bloom, a funny, good-hearted, cross-dressing teen who becomes the new student at an ultra-conservative high school. Although accosted with Bible believing cheerleaders, the jocks, the bullies, Billy takes a stand. Determined to be who he is and not bow to peer pressure, he refuses to change his outlandish outfits or behavior. Instead, he decides to run for Homecoming Queen for outcasts and underdogs everywhere. Within this framework Billys life revolves around these relationships: his mother, father, Flip Kelly, Blah, Blah. Blah (she talks so fast he never quite gets her name) and Florence. But let's talk about Billy. As played by Alex Lawther (last seen in the Imitation Game) this is performance nothing less than Oscar worthy. He is in every scene and he plays Billy with such conviction (starting with the fact he British) that it is often painful to watch. His face is nothing less than a canvas on which to draw whatever emotion is required; in some scenes, he almost seems to become a mime channeling Guiletta Masina (look her up!). It is powerful performance and even as it is about being fabulous ("I normally take being-over dramatic as a compliment") he always has something behind the look that feels real and vulnerable. There is no shortage of teenage films about high school (from Rebel Without a Cause to Twilight) and the cruelty encountered in those years. It is legendary and in Freak Show, there is ample violence, bullying and harassment to make one feel very uncomfortable—and that may be its point. As diercted by Trudie Styler it never crosses that line of being didactic or message-driven, it simply tells the story with grace. With appearances by Bette Midler, Abigail Breslin, Laverne Cox, John McEnroe, Larry Pine and most notably Celia Weston as Florence, Freak Show seems perfect for the moment. A film about standing ground in the face of adversity, being true to one's self at all costs, Freak Show was the perfect way to end a film festival about the diverse and the changing landscape of the LGBT community.