Mr. Lawther is sympathetic and appealing as Billy, but Ms. Styler seems to mistake broad strokes for stylistic daring, and her colorful but diffuse movie never jells.
Styler's directorial debut isn't the cinematic equivalent of wearing blue jeans, but much of its flash and style - though gorgeously costumed by Colleen Atwood and Sarah Laux - smacks of calculation and imitation rather than real flair.
Styler's peppy but thin foray into feature direction is especially disappointing following her strong track record as a producer of more singular, stylistically confident indies ...
At the heart of this tale, and the film's paramount appeal, is the staggeringly impressive turn by Lawther, who manages to be so overtly confident in the role, and yet internally so vulnerable.
There are times when Freak Show seems like a high school film repurposed from other high school films, rather than an authentic vision of life outside Chloƫ Sevigny's hometown.