Drop Dead Fred (1991) A review - by Shlomoh Sherman April 23, 2014

Drop Dead Fred (1991) Plot: A young woman finds her already unstable life rocked by the presence of a rambunctious imaginary friend from childhood. Director: Ate de Jong (as Ate De Jong) Writers: Elizabeth Livingston (story), Carlos Davis Stars: Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall, Marsha Mason Plot Keywords: mother - imaginary friend - slapstick - rhyme in title - slapstick comedy Taglines: He Creates The Havoc, She Gets The Blame. Genres: Comedy - Drama - Fantasy Certificate: PG-13 Country: USA - UK Language: English Release Date: April 19, 1991 (USA) Filming Locations: Gaviidae Commons, Nicollet Mall - 555 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Box Office Gross: $13,878,334 (USA) Company Credits: Production Co: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films Technical Specs Runtime: 103 min Sound Mix: Dolby Color: Color

Storyline: Presumably a movie for children, there is an undercurrent, according to my daughter, of a message for adults. Elizabeth Cronin is a happily married woman, so she believes, when suddenly her darling husband informs her that he is leaving her for another woman. As a child under the control of a domineering mother, Elizabeth finds an imaginary friend, Fred, has entered her life and causes her to act out in quite an antisocial way. Now with the current crisis of divorce thrust upon her, Fred re-enters her life and causes even more havoc than he did when Elizabeth was a child. Polly, Liz' domineering mother has set her mind on taking control of Liz' life again now that she is about to lose her marriage. But Fred's appearence moves that control away from the mother to Fred himself. But Fred himself is none other than Elizabeth's alter ego. Enter Mickey Bunce, a childhood friend who develops a crush on ELaizabeth and begins to woo her. Liz acts polite to him but she shows that her romantic interest is solely for her husband. Mickey ignores her gentle rebuffs and continues to persue her. In one mad scene, Fred [Liz] causes the devastation of a restaurant where Mickey has taken her on a date. But instead of being turned off to her maniacal behavior, Mickey encourages her. Finally, when he asks her why she is behaving erratically, she confesses simply, "Because I am crazy - to which Mickey also professes his own insanities. Eventually Liz becomes disenchanted with her errant husband and she and Mickey marry. Will Drop Dead Fred now leave them alone. Only a spoler would let you know. By all means, if you get a chance, have your child see this zaney movie. Rik Mayall is an incredible performer and gives real life to the title character of Drop Dead Fred Phoebe Cates ['Lizzie' Cronin] and Marsha Mason [mother Polly Cronin] have seen better looking days. Beauty is skin deep and lost with the passage of time.

Did You Know? Trivia: The steamboat that Janie lived on is an actual residence. Goofs: When Anabel and Charles are arguing at the car dealership, a woman stands in front of a red car. She asks to test drive it but in the next scene the car is gray and is a convertible. Quotes: [first lines]: Polly: And the prince took the beautiful young girl in his arms and said, will you marry me? Yes, she whispered, I will be your princess. Young Elizabeth: Did they live happily ever after? Polly: Of course, Elizabeth. [tucking her in] Young Elizabeth: How do you know? Polly: Because she was a good little girl. If she had been naughty, the prince would have run away. Young Elizabeth: What a pile of shit! Connections: Spoofed in Marcia's Twat: An XXX Brady Parody and Other Porn Parodies (2011) Message Boards: Recent Posts: "All the people who denigrate this movie are dead insid" - torqtump "Elizabeth's dad" - babyjade22 "This Is An Awful Movie" - futuremovie-530-428548 "Dont understand a line" - eyeforaneye2002 "Ridiculous DVD prices" - aestevalis_0 "whats your favourite ddf quote?" - xx_xx_calsey_xx_xx "Accent" - Jessie300 Discuss Drop Dead Fred (1991) on the IMDb message boards

Cast: Cast overview, first billed only: Phoebe Cates ... Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Cronin Rik Mayall ... Drop Dead Fred Marsha Mason ... Polly Cronin Tim Matheson ... Charles Carrie Fisher ... Janie Keith Charles ... Murray Ashley Peldon ... Young Elizabeth Daniel Gerroll ... Nigel Cronin Ron Eldard ... Mickey Bunce Eleanor Mondale ... Attractive Customer Bob Reid ... Judge Dubben Peter Thoemke ... Arsonist Sjoukje De Jong Douma ... Grandma Bunce Paul Holmes ... Man in Speedboat Steve Cochran ... Waiter #1