Drop Dead Fred
Published March 15, 2025
Film info
- Title Drop Dead Fred
- Director Ate de Jong
- Year 1991
- Run time 1hr 43m
- Genres Comedy, Fantasy, Family
- Tagline Dishes. Relationships. Wind. This guy breaks everything.
When Elizabeth returns to her mother’s home after her marriage breaks up, she recreates her imaginary childhood friend, Fred, to escape from the trauma of losing her husband and her job. In between the chaos and mayhem that Fred creates, Elizabeth attempts to win back her husband and return to normality.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:55 | Did I know Carrie Fisher was in this? |
| 5:12 | Awful husband. |
| 9:43 | “He was real, alright, really out of control.” |
| 17:30 | “That means there’s a load of grown up things to smash.” |
| 24:47 | “So get happy,” he orders, smacking her in the face with a spade. |
| 33:07 | Oof, 80s/90s makeovers. |
| 42:17 | You really don’t want Fred on a boat. |
| 44:53 | “What do you think, I have an imaginary friend clause in my boat insurance?” |
| 49:09 | I feel like it must be very hard to act normal with Rik Mayall shouting in your face. |
| 1:04:15 | I mean, all kids make mud pies, but not in the house! |
| 1:08:11 | I love that he can read the note even though it’s not any language. |
| 1:10:45 | “I love those breaking noises.” |
| 1:21:20 | Janey is a good friend, even if the house was worth a lot, it still sank! |
| 1:28:34 | “I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!” |
Thoughts
I’ve seen this film loads of times but not for many years, so it was weird to watch it again - somehow entirely familiar and yet also surprisingly new in lots of ways. If I saw it new now I wouldn’t care for it, I’m sure, but because it has that nostalgia factor, it was an enjoyable watch. It’s an interesting film and role for Phoebe Cates, as a grown up with an imaginary friend, but she does a great job - even though I can’t believe she’d stay with that hideous husband. And Rik Mayall is there doing what he does best, a bit of chaos and anarchy to brighten the day.
Rating: 3 / 5