The Secret and Invisible childhood pal from hell - returns! The super cute Phoebe Cates stars as Elizabeth, a young woman who things she has problems, that is until Fred, her childhood secret friend, pops back into her life and reeks havoc and turns her ordinary life upside down. Is Fred the worst thing that could happen to her? Elizabeth has no idea what shenanigans she is in for when Drop Dead Fred gets cranked up after being tucked away for so long. Cates and Mayall both have a funny and interesting give and take throughout the film as they portray their respective characters. Widescreen version just came in. Drop Dead Fred holds up very will 20 plus years later after its theatrical release.
You will be in comedic awe of the antics of Fred throughout this film. Fred is always cooking up something zany for Elizabeth while she is always trying to maintain some semblance of order with this wacky situation. If you are in the mood for a strange and trippy fantasy comedy this is for you. As you watch this film it gets funnier as it goes on. Rarely a comedy comes along that is willing to some really strange things for laughs. From literally pancake face makeup to Fred looking up dresses he's do anything for a gag. Fred's crass colors of greene and yellow follow him throughout the film, regardless of what crazy costume he is in. Phoebe plays perfectly off Rik Mayall and vice versa. Oscar winner Marsha Mason is also funny and solid in her role as Cate's mother.
Cates can't hardly distinguish if Mayall is teasing or torturing her throughout this romp. Mayall's portrayal of Fred weaves a sense of fun and wickedness at the same time. The movie pulls off both a sense of innocence and meanness simultaneously. Drop Dead Fred is full of special makeup and fall down comedic gags with a wicked sense of humor. Silly, zany and downright hilarious is what you'll think to yourself when watching this film. With one bizarre joke and mishap after another Elizabeth can count on Fred sabotaging her life in some way. Quirky does not begin to describe this movie, as it is the true definition of madness incarnate. Tripping and being tripped abounds in this film in addition to slapstick and absurdity heaven. Rik looks so silly and terrific at the same time in his green and yellow attire with his red hair.
You'll notice throughout that Rik's hair and outfits change with slight differences in style but the color theme always remains. All the elements come together for a perfect comedy storm in this movie. This is a comic classic with Rik Mayall giving a great physical comedy performance and Cates does her part by being cute, perplexed, sad and funny on queue. With a Remake of Drop Dead Fred possibly in the pipeline the original should have a place in your DVD collection. This DVD has a crisp and clean full screen transfer. It's cool to have this comedy on home video. A must own for fans of super silly comedies!
Cast & Crew
Actors:
Tim Matheson
Carrie Fisher
Marsha Mason
Phoebe Cates
Rik Mayall
Writers:
Carl Davis
Anthony Fingleton
Producers:
Paul Webster
Directors:
Ate De Jong
Product Information
Features:
Scene Selections
Video:
Standard 1.33:1 Color - Fullscreen
Audio: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC]
Studio: Artisan/Lionsgate
Production Year: 1991
Release Date: 7/22/2003
Length: 103 mins
Rating: PG-13
Chapters: 25