Freak Dance (film)

Last updated
Freak Dance
Directed by Matt Besser
Neil Mahoney
Written byMatt Besser
Produced byGeorge Whitman
Inman Young
StarringMichael Daniel Cassady
Megan Heyn
Amy Poehler
Matt Besser
Ian Roberts
Matt Walsh
CinematographyEvin Grant
David Thies
Edited byNeil Mahoney
Music byMichael Daniel Cassady
Distributed by Image Entertainment
UCB Comedy
Release date
  • October 21, 2011 (2011-10-21)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Freak Dance is an American comedy film written and directed by Matt Besser of the Upright Citizens Brigade and co-directed by Neil Mahoney. It premiered at the Austin Film Festival on October 21, 2011. The film had a limited theatrical release in May 2012 and made available on video on demand 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 in Los Angeles for several years.

Contents

Plot

Freak Dance is a musical, dance comedy where rich girl Cocolonia (Megan Heyn) must escape her uptight mother (Amy Poehler) 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) 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


Related Research Articles

The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, Adam McKay, Rick Roman, Horatio Sanz and Drew Franklin. Other early members included Neil Flynn, Armando Diaz, Ali Farahnakian and Rich Fulcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Poehler</span> American actress and comedian (born 1971)

Amy Poehler is an American actress and comedian. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. The group moved to New York City in 1996, where their act became a half-hour sketch-comedy series on Comedy Central in 1998. Along with other members of the comedy group, Poehler is a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Del Close</span> American actor, writer, and teacher (1934–1999)

Del Close was an American actor, writer, and teacher who coached many of the best-known comedians and comic actors of the late twentieth century. In addition to an acting career in television and film, he was one of the influences on modern improvisational theater. Close is co-founder of the ImprovOlympic (iO).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Besser</span> American actor and comedian

Matthew Gregory Besser is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, writer, and one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998 to 2000. He hosts the improvisation-based podcast Improv4humans on the Earwolf podcasting network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre</span> Improvisational comedy venue

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is an American improvisational and sketch comedy training center and theatre originally founded by Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Walsh (comedian)</span> American actor and comedian (born 1964)

Matthew Paul Walsh is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his role as Mike McLintock in Veep for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He is a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, with which he co-starred in its original television series and the 2015 reboot. He also previously starred in short-lived comedy programs such as Dog Bites Man and Players, and was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has also appeared in films such as Road Trip (2000), Bad Santa (2003), School for Scoundrels (2006), Role Models (2008), The Hangover (2009), and The Do-Over (2016).

Jesse Scot Falcon is an American improv and sketch comedy performer based in New York City. He attended Albion College in Albion, Michigan, graduating in 1993 with a degree in Speech, Communications, and Theatre. Since 1998, Falcon has been a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, working with comedians like Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler and The Daily Show's Rob Corddry. Falcon also performs with other comedy groups such as Mother, The Chipperton Family, Telethon, and Girl Crush 2040. He has also appeared in the comedic short film Running with Scissors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Roberts (American actor)</span> American actor, comedian and writer (born 1965)

Ian Michael Roberts is an American actor, comedian, writer, and a founding member of the famed Upright Citizens Brigade improv and sketch comedy troupe.

Martin & Orloff is a 2002 feature film written by and starring Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts, best known as half of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe, along with Ian's wife Katie Roberts. The film was produced and directed by Lawrence Blume and features an ensemble cast of alternative comedians including H. Jon Benjamin, David Cross, Andy Richter, Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Janeane Garofalo, and Rachel Dratch, as well as actress Kim Raver as Orloff's girlfriend.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 33 Season of television series

The thirty-third season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 29, 2007, and May 17, 2008.

<i>The Mighty B!</i> Nickelodeon TV show starring Amy Poehler

The Mighty B! is an American animated television series created by former SNL cast member Amy Poehler, Cynthia True, and Erik Wiese for Nickelodeon. The series centers on Bessie Higgenbottom, an ambitious Honeybee girl scout who believes she will become The Mighty B if she collects every Honeybee badge. Bessie lives in San Francisco with her single mother Hilary, brother Ben and dog Happy. Poehler provides the voice of Bessie, who is loosely based on the character Cassie McMadison, who Poehler played on the improvisational comedy troupes Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City before she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Allen (dancer)</span> American television contestant

Joshua Allen is an American dancer and actor, best known as the winner of the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance. He had originally auditioned in Dallas, Texas with his friend and fellow contestant, Comfort Fedoke. Allen was announced winner of the show on August 7, 2008, winning $250,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Rust</span> American actor, comedian and writer

Paul Rust is an American actor, comedian and writer. He starred in the 2009 film I Love You, Beth Cooper and in the Netflix series Love.

<i>Dance Flick</i> 2009 American film

Dance Flick is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Damien Dante Wayans in his directorial debut and written by and starring many members of the Wayans family. The film was set for release in the United States on February 6, 2009, and changed to May 22, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Huskey</span> American actor, comedian and writer

Brian Huskey is an American character actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his roles in comedy programs such as People of Earth, Childrens Hospital, Veep, and Another Period. He also provides the voice of Regular Sized Rudy on the animated comedy Bob's Burgers.

Ali Reza Farahnakian is an American actor, writer, and improvisational comedian. He is the founder of The Peoples Improv Theater in NYC and co-starred in the Adult Swim comedy series Delocated. He has been married to Beth Saunders since September 2004.

Betsy Sodaro is an American actress. She is a regular performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles. Sodaro is best known for her appearances on comedy programs such as Ghosts, Another Period, Duncanville, Clipped, Animal Practice, Nailed It, Big Time in Hollywood, FL and the Netflix show Disjointed.

<i>Upright Citizens Brigade</i> (TV series) American sketch comedy television series

Upright Citizens Brigade is an American sketch comedy television series. It premiered on August 19, 1998 on Comedy Central, with three seasons of ten episodes each. It features four members of Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational sketch comedy group. The cast includes Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. The cast later reunited for another series called The UCB Show, of a similar format that premiered in 2016 on Seeso.

The UCB Show is an American sketch comedy series that premiered on December 3, 2015 via the Seeso comedy subscription streaming service. The series features members of Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational sketch comedy group. The cast includes Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, the same actors that appeared on Upright Citizens Brigade, the previous show that aired on Comedy Central in the 1990s. The variety series features various sketches, characters and stand-up shows from the Upright Citizens Brigade theatres in Los Angeles and New York. The show is hosted by the original actors of the theatre and filmed in front of a live studio audience. The UCB Show was renewed for a second season, which premiered January 12, 2017.

Vag Magazine, which was created in 2010 by Leila Cohan-Miccio and Caitlin Tegart, is an American feminist themed comedy web series starring Kate McKinnon, Jocelyn Guest, Nicole Drespel, Sarah Claspell, Veronica Osorio, and Leslie Meisel. The web series in its entirety can be found on YouTube and Vimeo. Filmed at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, Vag Magazine was directed by Zach Neumeyer and produced by Nicole Shabtai.