Drop Dead Fred is a 1991 fantasy comedy film directed by Ate de Jong, produced by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films and released and distributed by New Line Cinema. Although touted as a light-hearted children's film, there are notable adult themes and gags, with elements of black comedy and gross out humor, and some profanity.
British comedian Rik Mayall stars as the title character, a happy, anarchic and extremely mischievous imaginary friend of a young girl named Elizabeth (Ashley Peldon) and arch nemesis of her fussy and overbearing mother Polly (Marsha Mason) whom he refers to as the "mega bitch". Drop Dead Fred causes absolute chaos around the home and neighbourhood. Nobody else can see Fred except Elizabeth. When Elizabeth grows up (portrayed by Phoebe Cates) and is having a mid-life crisis, Fred returns to "cheer her up" in his own unique way, causing more chaos than ever before. The supporting cast includes Carrie Fisher, Ron Eldard, Tim Matheson and Bridget Fonda.
Although it performed poorly at the US box office, it became Working Title's first financial hit and was (for a time) the most successful independent film ever released in Australia. It has since achieved cult status[1] and was released on DVD on July 22, 2003.[2] (The USA DVD issue is Full Screen (open matte, not pan and scan) and in the UK it is Widescreen.)
It was announced in April 2009 that Universal Studios have acquired the rights to Drop Dead Fred and a remake in pre-production, with British comedian and actor Russell Brand in the part of the lead role. The screenplay is by Carlos Davis and Anthony FIngleton, the original writers and Executive Producers.[3]
Taglines
- Imagine having this guy for a friend
- Dishes. Relationships. Wind. This guy breaks EVERYTHING.
- Unusual, Uncontrollable, Unleashed, Unreal
- He Creates The Havoc, She Gets The Blame.[4]
Synopsis
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Cronin (Phoebe Cates) is a repressed young woman (with "wallflower" tendencies) who lets others walk all over her. One day she loses her money, her car, her job, and her husband within the same lunch hour. Following this turn of events, Lizzie's domineering mother Polly (Marsha Mason) forces her to return and live in her childhood home.
Returning to her old bedroom, Lizzie finds a taped-up jack-in-the-box in the cupboard. She opens it and releases Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall): her imaginary friend from childhood, whom only Lizzie can see. Through a series of flashbacks it is revealed that as a child, Lizzie was tormented by the overbearing Polly, who drove away Lizzie's father Nigel. It was Fred alone who made Lizzie happy and gave her an outlet for her frustrations, though Fred was a troublemaker who wreaked havoc wherever he went, virtually destroying the house and always shifting the blame to Lizzie for his tricks. Fred was eventually sealed in the jack-in-the-box by Polly. Upon being released by an adult Lizzie, he is disappointed that she has grown up and lost her zest for life.
Fred promises to make Lizzie happy again. She says that will happen only if she is reunited with her husband Charles (Tim Matheson), who cheats on her. Fred helps out as only he can, which gets Lizzie into even more trouble with her friends, and with Polly. Then Lizzie is reunited with her childhood friend/neighbour Mickey Bunce (Ron Eldard), who is now a recently-divorced(2 years), single parent. Although Mickey would love to resume his friendship with Lizzie, she is bent on saving her marriage to Charles.
Lizzie has a "makeover" at the behest of Polly. With this new look, Lizzie woos back her husband. After Fred causes Lizzie to "Have absurd conversations with thin air" as well as repeatedly hit a violinist at a local shopping mall, Polly takes her to a psychiatrist (Alycia Lutz), who prescribes drugs which will rid Lizzie of Fred. (Fred is seen to behave in a lethargic manner in the presence of Lizzie while she is on this prescription.) Just before Lizzie takes the last of these pills, she learns that Charles is still cheating on her. Heartbroken, Lizzie turns back to Fred, who uncharacteristically shows a serious side to himself.
In a dream sequence, Fred helps Lizzie face the two demons of her life: Charles and Polly. In her old room, Lizzie finds her childhood self taped to her bed. Lizzie tears the tape, releasing her young self and, in the process, frees her present adult self. Fred tells the reluctant Lizzie that, after all these years, she no longer needs him. He kisses her goodbye and disappears.
Lizzie returns to the real world and dumps Charles for good. Then she collects her belongings from Polly's house, including Fred's jack-in-the-box. Lizzie tells her mother how she feels about the way Polly has always treated her. Lizzie also tells Polly what she thinks of how Polly treated Nigel...who, as a result, finally walked out on them despite his love for Lizzie. Lizzie goes to walk out on Polly, but despite her mother treating her badly when she was little, before she leaves she tells her to get a friend and hugs her.
Lizzie goes to Mickey and makes peace with him. She also hits it off with his daughter, whom Mickey explains is quite a handful. As they approach Mickey's house, his daughter nearly runs into them saying " daddy, i wanted to play but he bumped me on the head and said piss off". Mickey's live-in nanny claims the "young lady" has made a terrible mess, which the girl blames on Drop Dead Fred. Lizzie realizes that Fred has not truly gone; he is now the imaginary friend of Mickey's daughter.
Phoebe Cates and Rik Mayall in Drop Dead Fred
Production notes
In addition to the studio scenes, on-scene filming took place at many locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. These include the Gaviidae Common on Nicollet Mall, Lowry Hill and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; Harriet Island, and the Wells Fargo Tower in St. Paul; and Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Cast
Reception
The film was released to cinemas on April 19, 1991, and fared adequately (for an independent film), grossing $3,625,648 on its opening weekend, and $13,878,334 over its entire theatrical run.
It was savaged by critics: Leonard Maltin stated that "Phoebe Cates' appealing performance can't salvage this putrid mess ... recommended only for people who think nose-picking is funny."
Psychological interpretation
Although the film was usually cited as a comedy, some critics also took note of its psychological aspects.
Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Margaret Lyons asked, "...is it supposed to be hilarious, or a really, really depressing story about the long-term effects of emotional abuse?"[5]
Writing for Mystical Movie Guide, Carl J. Schroeder wrote, "The imaginary friend is cavortingly rude for a reason; he served to push the girlchild to do mischief for attention and as a cry for help. Now grown up, the woman has forgotten and is about to lose her soul, so events call for some kind of literal return of her demon to force the exposure of her pain. This psychic crisis is poignantly realistic... The creature who is visible only to the woman is like a poltergeist energy of her repressed self, a problematic ego container into which her powers of assertion and creativity were poured and stored. The movie's resolution is startlingly beautiful..."[6]
Remake
In April 2009, it was revealed that Universal had acquired the rights to Drop Dead Fred and are working on a remake of the movie, with British comedian Russell Brand playing the title role. The film's producers are Marc Platt of Marc Platt Productions, Carlos Davis, Anthony Fingleton and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films, the company that produced the original film. The remake is planned to be of a darker tone to that of the original movie, and somewhat similar in nature to Beetlejuice.[7] The screenplay is written by Carlos Davis and Anthony Fingleton, the original writers with additional revisions from Dennis McNicholas, one of the writers of Universal's recent Land of the Lost. News of the remake was released to the public by Brand on his Twitter account when he posted the message "Drop Dead Fred — true."[1] The new movie is scheduled to be released in 2011.[8]
References
External links
