Click to read the article
The Fearless Freaks (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:11
Fresh:11
Rotten:0
Average Rating:7.4/10
Synopsis: Director Bradley Beesley's revealing documentary THE FEARLESS FREAKS fashions an insightful portrait of eccentric Oklahoma City rock band the Flaming Lips. Shot over a period of ten years,... Director Bradley Beesley's revealing documentary THE FEARLESS FREAKS fashions an insightful portrait of eccentric Oklahoma City rock band the Flaming Lips. Shot over a period of ten years, Beesley's film achieves an unprecedented level of intimacy due to his longtime friendship with the band, whom he first met in 1991 when they needed a filmmaker to shoot their music videos. Over the ensuing years, the Lips allowed Beesley to document not only their ever-evolving musical career--which grew from punk-drenched psychedelia to Brian Wilson-esque orchestral pop--but also the personal lives of band members Wayne Coyne, Steven Drodz, and Michael Ivins in their most private moments, including the death of Coyne's father and, most hauntingly, Drodz's ongoing heroin addiction. Culled from over 400 hours of footage, THE FEARLESS FREAKS blends Super-8 home movies, candid interviews, live performance footage, music videos, and outtakes from the feature film CHRISTMAS ON MARS into a compelling narrative that transcends the rockumentary genre to become a heartfelt meditation on personal growth and transformation. Juliette Lewis, Beck, Liz Phair, the White Stripes' Jack White, and Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue make cameo appearances. [More]
Starring: Beck, Jonathan Donahue, Juliette Lewis, Liz Phair
Starring: Beck, Jonathan Donahue, Juliette Lewis, Liz Phair, Jack White
Director: Bradley Beesley
Director: Bradley Beesley
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Fearless Freaks
Having been involved in helping the band craft its decidedly bizarre visual imagery for so much of its history, Beesley's film is perfectly in sync with the Lips' unique vision.
What really fuels the movie, however -- aside from the constant, buoyant presence of the band's leader, Wayne Coyne -- is its warts-and-all approach.
So darn watchable that it could turn someone who never heard of the Flaming Lips into a devoted fan.
Bradley Beesley's intimate documentary traces the two-decade career of the Flaming Lips, a seminal art-rock band from Oklahoma City.
Cobbles together an appropriately whacked-out portrait of the band's surreal and haphazard career trajectory.
Beesley could have made just a fan movie... but here we get much more.
Ripe with offbeat Americana, Beesley's rockumentary is also a portrait of growing up in a white-trash Okie ghetto.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| 43% 43% | The Proposal |
| 26% 26% | Land of the Lost |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 |
| 37% 37% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra |
| 14% 14% | I Love You, Beth Cooper |
| 97% 97% | Food, Inc. |
| 28% 28% | Aliens in the Attic |
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Fearless Freaks at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Moviefone brings us 9 failed attempts at biographical films.

TIME reminisces on the 10 most iconic moments from the films of Cameron Crowe.

BuzzSugar wants to know which movies coming out this month you're most looking forward to.

The AV Club takes a look back at Hedwig and the Angry Inch.



Top Critic


