Drop Dead Fred
A Movie Eye Member Movie Review!

Author: David Litton
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Posted to Movie Eye: 7/23/2003
Film Release Date: 4/19/1991
Rated: PG-13
Length: 103 minutes
Produced by: Paul Webster
Directed by: Ate de Jong
Cast: Phoebe Cates, Rick Mayall, Marsha Mason, Tim Matheson, Carrie Fisher, Ron Eldard
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Distributor: New Line Cinema

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Critic's Grade: C



Imagination can be a good thing, if you know how to use it. In "Drop Dead Fred," the filmmakers supply us with enough creativity to fill ten movies, but it's how they channel it that affords the film its many attributes as well as its weaknesses. The story introduces us to Elizabeth (Phoebe Cates), a young woman who in the wake of losing her job, her car, and her cheating husband (Tim Matheson) in one afternoon, is forced to move back in with her domineering mother. Once there, she is revisited by her childhood imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall), invisible to the rest of the world, but very real to her, and able to cause all sorts of mayhem while making her look like a complete psycho as she repeatedly utters, "Drop Dead Fred did it."

In all honesty, I was expecting something appalling as I watched the film, but while the film doesn't always work and has more than its share of failures, it's not without a sense of inspired comic lunacy. This is mostly the result of Mayall's all-or-nothing approach to the titular character's abundant sight gags and verbal jeers (after catching a glimpse of the view up Elizabeth's mother's skirt, he remarks coyly, "Cobwebs!"). While parents might be tempted to allow their youngsters to watch for Mayall's antics, this is in no way meant for the tots. Near-continuous vulgarities and innuendos make this a more adult trip down memory lane, one replete with unnecessary subplots involving Elizabeth's attempts to fixed her failed marriage. If only the film would have stuck to its guns and just let Mayall work his magic, then "Drop Dead Fred" might have been a better-than-average as opposed to better-than-nothing.

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Comments by charlie perry    7/16/2005
dammit I think I have to type everything dammit. So yeah I think drop dead fred is a classic and so do my friends, and we were jus thinking that it would be cool if there was a sequel to drop dead fred, that would make history cause you know how they have been recreating most old time movies well drop dead fred is not old but it is classic. It would be about remember in the first one in the doctors office, when fred was playing with his invisable friends, yeah him and his friends would be fighting the doctors through the kids that they are with, and the return of the green pill heh heh yeah that would be cool thanks for reading bye

Comments by Nicole Industrie    12/13/2004
Drop Dead Fred is the hottest movie EVER. All 17 of my kids loved it. Also Jebus my imaginary friend and his imaginery friend Andy also enjoyed it. My mummy won't let me touch the pretty things. Wow, you got real purdy hair.


 

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