i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

As a cinema aficionado I'll give any movie the opportunity to take 2 hours of my time. This, however, I couldn't believe even accomplished the necessary funding of getting made or thinking that it was a good idea of presenting such a monstrosity to the public.Let's break down certain elements of the film -- the acting was horrid and most likely career ending (not that AnnaSophia Robb's and Abigail Breslin's careers were going anywhere anyways), the cinematography was just completely uncomprehending (relying strictly on hard and natural lights making it difficult (and cold) to view), the direction (that most likely contributed to the horrid acting) was laughable at most, the story as predictable as ever and could best be related to what happens when food gets digested from start to finish... it always turns to crap in the end. The list continues on and on. Overall, it felt like it wanted to have that Jason Reitman indie-film type of execution, but just failed tremendously in ever part.At the end of the 'film' I felt like this was something made by a mentally unstable individual, most likely possessing access to some sort monetary account provided by today's Libtard Democratic politicians eager to contaminate and distribute its sickening propaganda onto the populous. Fortunately (and thankfully) only a handful of people have ever seen this garbage so it won't hold enough steam to influence the times of today. 1 out 10 (realistically -10/10) Don't waste your time.

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.

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?)