''Freak Dance'' is an American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
written and directed by
Matt Besser
Matthew Gregory Besser (born September 22, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer, best known as one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy ...
of the
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Ri ...
and co-directed by
Neil Mahoney
Neil T. Mahoney (November 21, 1906 — May 23, 1973) was an American professional baseball scout (sports), scout, scouting director, and player development official. Mahoney spent more than 30 years with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, ...
. It premiered at the
Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers’ creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the ...
on October 21, 2011. The film had a limited theatrical release in May 2012 and made available on
video on demand
Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
services. The film was released on DVD on July 10, 2012. The film is based on a stage show created by Besser, which originally ran at the
Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (shorter UCB Theatre) is an American improvisational theatre company and training center founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh.
Prior to ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
for several years.
Plot
Freak Dance is a musical, dance comedy where rich girl Cocolonia (Megan Heyn) must escape her uptight mother (
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
) who won't let her dance. So Cocolonia hits the streets to join a dance crew who respond to every challenge with a dance. With the help of dance crew leader Funky Bunch (Michael Daniel Cassady), who dreams of being the world's greatest dancer. The crew must save the Fantaseez Community Center from the evil "Building Inspector General" (
Matt Besser
Matthew Gregory Besser (born September 22, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer, best known as one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy ...
) and the gang-banger dancers before it's too late. Will the Fantaseez Crew be able to save their home? Only love, and the Freak Dance can save them now.
Cast
*Michael Daniel Cassady as Funky Bunch
*Megan Heyn as Cocolonia
*
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
as Lillian
*
Matt Besser
Matthew Gregory Besser (born September 22, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer, best known as one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy ...
as The Building Inspector General
*
Ian Roberts as Dr. Starvos
*
Matt Walsh as Adolf Hitler, Jr.
*
Angela Trimbur
Angela Denise Trimbur (born July 19, 1981) is an American actress, writer, dancer, choreographer, and former reality television participant.
Personal life
Trimbur was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on July 19, 1981. She attended Neshaminy H ...
as Sassy
*
Sam Riegel
Samuel Brent Oscar Riegel, sometimes credited as Jack Lingo, is an American voice actor, director, and writer. He is a regular cast member of the web series ''Critical Role'', in which he and other fellow voice actors play ''Dungeons & Dragons' ...
as Barrio
*
Drew Droege
Andrew Gerhardt Droege (pronounced ) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director best known for his online impressions of Chloë Sevigny.
Early life and education
Droege attended and graduated from Lincolnton High School in Lincolnto ...
as Dazzle
*
Hal Rudnick
Screen Junkies is an online movie magazine and YouTube channel, owned and operated by Fandom, that focuses primarily on movies and television. Screen Junkies produce numerous shows now spread across two YouTube channels, including ''The Screen J ...
as Asteroid
*Benjamin Siemon as Egghead
*Allen McLeod as Lint
*Scott Rodgers as Spit
*
Tim Meadows
Timothy Meadows (born February 5, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the longest-running cast members on ''Saturday Night Live'', where he appeared for ten seasons and for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy ...
as Irish Cop
*
Horatio Sanz
Horacio Sanz (born June 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006.
Early life
Sanz was born on June 4, 1969 in Santi ...
as Barrio's Brother
*
Casey Wilson
Cathryn Rose "Casey" Wilson (born October 24, 1980) is an American actress, comedienne, and screenwriter. She starred as Penny Hartz in the ABC comedy series '' Happy Endings'' for which she was twice nominated to the Critics' Choice Television A ...
as Rich Lady
*
Danielle Schneider
Danielle Caroline Schneider (born January 1, 1975) is an American actress, writer, and improvisational comedian from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She co-created and starred in the Hulu reality TV parody series ''The Hotwives'' and current ...
as Desk Nurse
*
Paul Rust
Paul Robert Rust (born April 12, 1981) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He starred in the 2009 film ''I Love You, Beth Cooper'' and in the Netflix series ''Love''.
Early life
Rust was born in Le Mars, Iowa, the son of Jeanne and Bob R ...
as Weed Fiend
*
Andrew Daly
Andrew J. Daly (born April 15, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He starred as Forrest MacNeil on the Comedy Central series ''Review'', and had a supporting role in the HBO comedy series '' Eastbound & Down'' as Terrence Cutler. H ...
as Gentleman Weed Fiend
*
James Adomian
James Adomian (born January 31, 1980) is an Armenian-American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. He is best known for his work on ''Comedy Bang! Bang!'', ''Chapo Trap House'', ''Last Comic Standing'', ''The Late Late Show with Craig Fe ...
as Mickey Stardust, Zip Fleestreet, & Fraggle McWinkerbean
*
Charlie Sanders
Charles Alvin Sanders (August 25, 1946 July 2, 2015) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977. Sanders was chosen for the NFL's 1970s All-D ...
as Slaughterhouse Employee
External links
Official site*
2011 films
2011 comedy films
2010s English-language films
{{2010s-comedy-film-stub