Freaks

THE GIST: Little Chloe lives barricaded in her house with her dad. He warns her never to venture outside and never to let anyone in, because everyone is potentially lethally dangerous. One day, a beckoning ice cream truck driver proves too alluring, and she walks up to it.

It's hard to pinpoint what is missing in Freaks that would make it a better movie. The premise is solid, and the script isn't really flawed, so perhaps it just needed to be fleshed out more. The story is certainly intriguing.

The acting is really good, especially Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern, and young Lexy Kolker is impressive.

THE BOTTOM LINE: There are some very interesting ideas at the core of this film, so even if it's not ultimately great, I'd recommend it.

Grade: 6.5