Sadly Over-hyped

Powerful

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I am proud in a weird way to say that I've know seen all of Doug Walker's picks for the Top 3 worst movies he's ever reviewed. Well, he's probably changed it by now. I'd love to see an update! We all knew "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" would be his #1 spot, but I was eager to see his #2 spot, which happens to be this film. A work friend of mine even said this was the first movie HE saw that he sincerely hated. It's just amazing how many little awful things there are in his movie. This movie tells the story of a woman and her imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred.First off, the special effects are really stupid and annoying. There's about one good shot they put all their budget into. There's a running gag where she sneezes and Fred flies around in this stupid manner. The worst is probably how he calls her Snotface and she's actually inspired to put her boogers on other people's faces. It's as stupid as it sounds. Fred causes mayhem by walking in dog poop and getting the floor all dirty. Fred is unbelievably annoying and is relentlessly obnoxious when he first appears right on screen. Flashbacks show Fred teaching her as a little girl to rob her parents.Her dad gets arrested for something that wasn't his fault and we literally never hear of him again. Yes, Fred was supposed to bring balance to the woman's life but he got her dad arrested. This other guy walks on a tree because he knew she'd run out of her window, what? Every joke is predictable. We know that they're going to drop the teapot after they mention it's expensive. We know Fred will smash the window when he says he'll be careful. Apparently, Fred also knew that destroying her friend's (played by Carrie Fisher, RIP) home would make her live off the insurance. It's obnoxious, unfocused and all around stupid. *

Carlos Davis and Anthony Fingleton's superb 1991 film 'Drop Dead Fred' was the late Rik Mayall's first and best Hollywood movie. It was all about an imaginary childhood friend who comes back from the past to help ( or should that be haunt? ) a young woman when her personal life takes a turn for the worst. At the time, 'Drop Dead Fred' was a massive flop. Many criticised the makers for poking fun at the mentally ill. 'Drop Dead Fred' did not poke fun at anything. If anything it highlighted in a comedic manner the effects of emotional abuse.Elizabeth Cronin is an introverted, easily-led young woman whose marriage to the smug and deceitful Charles has come to a bitter end. To make matters worse, she is forced to move back in with her vain, selfish, domineering mother Polly. Upon arriving at the house she grew up in, she starts sorting through her past possessions and comes across a taped-up jack-in-a-box. Opening it, out pops Fred, who was imprisoned in the box by Elizabeth's mother many years previous. Fred's presence in Elizabeth's life is not a welcome one. He smears dog poo on Polly's newly shampooed carpet, sinks the houseboat of Elizabeth's best friend and even drives his childhood friend to the point of insanity where she ends up on strong medication to eradicate him.Just as Elizabeth is about to get Fred out of her life for good, the normally havoc wreaking fiend informs her that Charles ( who she has attempted to reconcile with ) is still cheating on her, which she later finds out for herself when she overhears him making a flirtatious phone call. After a brief inner turmoil, Fred eventually manages to persuade Elizabeth to dump Charles and stand up to her vindictive mother.Rik Mayall hams it up wonderfully in the leading role. Fred is an ill mannered, hyperactive, ham-fisted nutter who cannot hold an object in his hands for more than a second without breaking it, but in Rik's hands he was somehow lovable. 'Gremlins' star Phoebe Cates ( what a babe she was! ) serves as a good foil for the sublime Mayall. Tim Matheson and Marsha Mason both made for convincing adversaries for Fred and Elizabeth. Also turning in fine performances are Carrie Fisher, Ashley Pendon, Ron Eldard and Daniel Gerroll. Bridget Fonda has an uncredited role here as Annabella, the floozy who Charles is cheating on Elizabeth with.'Drop Dead Fred' is an overlooked little work of art that deserves a far better reception than the one it got on its cinematic release. Randy Edeleman's wonderfully mischievous theme tune really gets the feet moving and, alongside the music he wrote for 'Billy Madison' and 'Beethoven', must rank as one of the best ever written for a film. A few years back a remake of 'Drop Dead Fred' was planned with Russell Brand playing the title role. Fortunately, it did not go ahead. After all, who would stump up the cash to see a talentless twerp play a part that has already been played to perfection by a comedy genius?Favourite bit? Fred trying to free his head from the fridge after it has become trapped in the door. Eventually, he manages to get out but his head is left looking as flat as a pancake!

Y'know, when I first saw this movie as a child (about 10 years old), I hated it. I thought the humour was vulgar and predictable, the effects were unconvincing at best and the characters trying to resemble real life ended up being so stereotypical, even Punch-Out would be jealous. But after watching it again, I realized something...IT'S EVEN WORSE NOW! Not only do all the complaints I put before still apply, but the psychological side of this movie is just terrifying. Nothing these characters do is logical and they frequently break out into behavior we would deem as unacceptable or even insane. The concept of fantasy meets reality is completely shot in the foot if THIS is the reality you're creating.The only decent thing in this movie and I'm really pushing it is when Fred interacts with the other imaginary friends. I must admit, that idea, while still immature, had some potential.Apart from that, this movie is unacceptably bad. Without a doubt, the worst movie I've ever seen.

I had seen the poster and DVD for this film many many times, so I always knew who the leading British actor was, who sadly passed away a year before I watched it, I had many times heard that this film had either mixed or negative opinions, probably the latter, I was still going to give it a go. Basically Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Cronin (Phoebe Cates) is having the worst time of her life, she has her purse and car stolen, she is fired from her job, and she finds out that her husband Charles (Tim Matheson) has cheated on her, but she cannot stop loving him, despite support from her friend Janie (Carrie Fisher) she is unhappy. In misery, Lizzie remembers her happy times in childhood as a young girl (Ashley Peldon), specifically playing with and messing about with her imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall), and all of the sudden, Fred reappears. Fred has a sole purpose, to cheer Lizzie up, but this is not going to plan, especially with Lizzie's quite cold mother Polly (Marsha Mason) around, who wants to turn her daughter into a younger double of herself. Lizzie works to get Charles back, and even though she is overjoyed to see Fred again and remember the fun times they had when she was a child, he only seems to cause trouble for her. After a number of unforgivable action, which Lizzie blames Fred for (just like in the past), her mother takes her to "get help" and get rid of Fred forever, Lizzie is given medication to take, but she realises as she is about to take the final pill that Charles has not changed, Fred is the only person she can trust. She follows Fred to a dream world and gets the chance to conquer her greatest fears: her mother, Charles's infidelity and the little girl inside her dealing with loneliness, unfortunately the only way she can truly rid herself of these fears is to lose Fred for good and realise she does not need him anymore. In the end Lizzie kisses Fred goodbye, waking from this dream she leaves Charles, she initially argues with Polly, who she blamed for her father leaving, but the mother and daughter reconcile, and meeting up with Mickey Bunce (Ron Eldard) they seem to express interest in being more than friends, she notices his daughter Natalie (Kelly Benson) playing and causing trouble, blaming Fred, even though she can no longer see him Lizzier realises Fred is now Natalie's imaginary friend, she smiles. Also starring Bridget Fonda as Annabella, Keith Charles as Murray and Daniel Gerroll as Nigel Cronin. Mayall with his big red hair and bright green clothes does bring the manic high energy you'd expect from him, and Cates is nice as the girl who is the only person who can see him, it might have been a good idea, but it goes from amusing to irritating a fair amount, and is predictable and almost completely unfunny, stick to James Stewart classic Harvey if you want a film about an invisible friend, this is a mess of a fantasy comedy. Adequate!