Freaky Deaky

Well, this movie was poorly made. It really was, which is probably why we didn't see it anywhere and I had to actively track it down.

But, a big part of it is likely the budget. It stinks of low budget and you can't really make an ultra low budget period flick and have actually turn out well.

But, 7 of 10 stars because it is unique. The story is original, and that is probably why it had such a low budget feel to it, but that doesn't really matter at all.

You still have an Elmore Leonard movie, which means you still have characters you haven't really encountered in stories before and a plot that you haven't really seen before all in a genre--crime--that is over done and paint-by-numbers.

So, watch it, if nothing more than you are getting a real story, a fresh story, an Elmore Leonard story and he is always worth it...because without him you get more of the same old crap on repeat.

It's a story you probably haven't encountered before and that is always worth a watching.

Loved it! Such an original film with a really talented cast. The plot had me right from the start and there was plenty of laughs to the very end. It's a watch from me.

I wanted to like this film. I love Elmore Leonard novels, and loved Get Shorty, 52 Pickup, Get Straight and Jackie Brown (Rum Punch). In the hands of a master like Tarantino, Elmore Leonard's complex and fast-paced plots, with numerous characters throwing witty street banter around, really shine.

Unfortunately, Charles Mattheau isn't up to the task, and characters are miscast, pacing is awful, even the score is wrong in so many places. This film often comes off as a bad TV tongue-in-cheek crime show, complete with dramatic musical flourishes when the camera zooms in on the sexy legs of actresses Sabina Gadeki and Breanne Racano. (Their legs and other beautiful body parts are the best things about these mediocre actresses, in my opinion). The explosion scenes are evidence of a severe shortage in the sfx budget as well as the actor budget.

Even the usually outstanding Crispin Glover as the spacey drunken rich guy Woody Ricks is tepid, either overacting scenes or underacting them. Everything seems out of sync in this film.

Perhaps I'm holding it up to too high of a standard with the aforementioned Leonard film adaptations. But it is what it is...and cool 70's sets and apparel (the novel was set in the 60s), witty Leonard dialog and clever plot apparently weren't enough for director Mattheau to pull this off. I have to believe Elmore Leonard is supremely disappointed in this effort, since as I recall he labeled this his favorite novel. One can only hope that someday a director like Tarantino remakes this film the right way, and captures the crazy 60's vibe from the novel.

Slick, stylish and scatter shot, Charles Matthau's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Freaky Deaky is enjoyable viewing. Though the book that the film was based on was resolutely set in the 1980s, Matthau's adaptation has been shifted into the 1970s, which offers up a whole lot more visual fun in terms of costumes, cars, locations and a nicely garish kitsch look. It features a very strong cast and the story essentially deals with three main sets of characters as they interact, all in the pursuit of easy money. They are cynical ex-bomb squad cop Chris Mankowski (Burke) and beautiful party girl Greta (Sabina Gadecki); super-eccentric long-haired millionaire Woody (Glover) and his loyal-sh driver/confidant Donelle (White), and finally ex-con/femme fatal Robin (Breanne Racano) and her bomb-making boyfriend Skip Gibbs (Slater). A suitably funky 1970s–style score and slices of smart dialog help push this film into the top echelon of its genre, and I highly recommend it!

I love Elmore Leonard I have read just about every novel he has written this is not among my favorites. However some of my favorites (Stick, 52 Pick Up, Rum Punch) have been made into completely terrible films.

This on the other hand is a nice adaptation. Characterizations and dialog doesn't stray much from the original story. Much of it plays out just like it did in my imagination when I read the book. The acting was passable, though I thought Glover (and to a lesser degree Andy Dick) were miscast but they did a decent job. The tone of the movie was light and breezy just like the novel. I would love to see the director take a crack at one of Leonard's better novels like Stick or The Hunted.