Fresh
Will please devotees without attracting many, if any, new converts.
Joe Leydon, Variety
The Fearless Freaks
The life and times of an American invention??
2005 · 1h 40m · Not Rated
Documentary, Music
Directed by
Bradley Beesley
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The Fearless Freaks
Overview
Equal parts punk and psychedelia, the Flaming Lips emerged from Oklahoma City as one of the most bracing bands of the late 1980s. The Fearless Freaks documents their rise from Butthole Surfers-imitating noisemakers to grand poobahs of orchestral pop masterpieces. Filmmaker Bradley Beesely had the good fortune of living in the same neighborhood as lead Lip Wayne Coyne, who quickly enlisted his buddy to document his band's many concerts and assorted exploits. The early footage is a riot, with tragic hair styles on proud display as the boys attempt to cover up their lack of natural talent with sheer volume. During one show, they even have a friend bring a motorcycle on stage, which is then miked for sound and revved throughout the performance, clearing the club with toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Great punk rock stuff. Interspersed among the live bits are interviews with the band's family and friends, revealing the often tragic circumstances of their childhoods and early career.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
100%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Wildly entertaining.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
Fresh
So darn watchable that it could turn someone who never heard of the Flaming Lips into a devoted fan.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Fresh
Bradley Beesley's intimate documentary traces the two-decade career of the Flaming Lips, a seminal art-rock band from Oklahoma City.
Dana Stevens, New York Times
Fresh
As artfully scrappy and likably wide-eyed as its subjects.
Dennis Lim, Village Voice
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