I heard about this film from the press reviews which were generally
quite positive for a British comedy, so I thought it might have
something to it. I downloaded it while the wife was out and loved it.
It reminded me of being young, not fitting in and feeling like a bit of
a loser.
I expected some kind of Inbetweeners cash-in but its much smarter than
that, this is a film with something to say about youth, alienation and
Thatcher's Britain. The characters represent different strata of the
class system so we have rich kid Chunks who can't take life seriously,
middle class Parsons and poor Jack, whose character is interesting
because in socio-economic terms he is working class, but miles away
from the usual working class Ken Loach clichéd archetype.
Its actually a very smart teen movie which subverts all those tropes
like the geeky guy getting getting the girl - in this film she turns
out to be a pill popping raver with issues. Or the bad boy learning
something from a wise youth like in American Graffiti - in this film he
kills him accidentally! In the end nobody learns anything which I
understand will irritate a lot of people used to the 3-act Hollywood
morality play. At least this is something different even if it doesn't
always work.
The acting is good and its well-directed, a shame it didn't get more of
a release but I'm sure its destined to become a cult classic in years
to come with kids sitting watching it in their bedrooms smoking dope! I
am a Freak!
We Are the Freaks
2013
Action / Comedy / Drama
We Are the Freaks
2013
Action / Comedy / Drama
Plot summary
Three misfits embark on a weekend they will never forget.
Uploaded by: OTTO
May 30, 2015 at 05:23 AM
Director
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Flawed but a lot of fun - I am a freak
We Are Freaks? I Don't Think So.
I simply don't see the purpose of this film. It's called 'We Are
Freaks' however there's nothing at all exceptionally different about
the characters. I'd say the kids are all normal/verging on fairly dull
middle-class youngsters. Perhaps the film should be called: Woo! We're
Really Crazy & Mad-Capped Weirdos, Honest!
Clearly I'm being ironic with my suggested title, but it is more
accurate than 'We Are Freaks'. 'Boring Unoriginal Pre-Accountant Brats'
would be another title more in sync with the Characters on screen.
There's not much more to be said. A dull story & dull characters in a
dull world. Perhaps they are freaks? Not! (early 90s reference there)
A bit of a misfire
A teenager awaits word on whether he has been accepted to the University he applied for. We watch him and two of his friends the freaks embark on an eventful night on the town.
Going into this one I was sold mainly on the idea that it was going to be a film about British teenagers in 1990. This would be something I could relate to having been one then and having very fond memories of it. So I was up for a bit of that. Unfortunately for me, We Are the Freaks turned out to be movie that didn't feel very 'early 1990's' at all. Despite a few pointers such as Margaret Thatcher's resignation, a chunky car phone and some music references this could easily have been set in the present day. There was no soundtrack to give the feel of the times; all we got on that front was some utterly pointless references to pop bands of the day.
Sadly, pointlessness is a good way of describing We Are the Freaks in general. There are many scenes that go absolutely nowhere and moments that happen for no overall purpose. It heavily feels like a film that is trying to 'be different' at all times, like it's too cool for school. The fourth wall is obliterated within the first few minutes and it's rammed to the gunnels with post-modern techniques that continually remind you that you are watching a movie. All of this would be okay in the right hands, as a skilled film-maker can use these devices to great effect. But We Are the Freaks is pretty poorly made and conceived. The writing is particularly terrible with a script that tries hard to be funny and clever but hardly ever is. The acting seemed under par as well but this may very well be a result of the awful script and the fact that all the characters have no depth to begin with. It's not a term I use much but this is a very self-indulgent movie. In fairness to it it's fast paced and visually interesting at times. But in the main it was a bit annoying to tell the truth.