Drop Dead Fred (1991)

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

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

Storyline

A young woman who's attempting to find her place in the world battles with her controlling mother and a womanizing husband finds comfort and confusion with the appearance of her childhood friend. It is a zappy movie that emphasizes self-actualization.

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Plot Keywords:

imaginary friend | bedtime story | domineering mother | adulterous husband | self discovery | 

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Taglines:

Let Him Out!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drop Dead Fred

Filming Locations:

2014 Humboldt Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,788,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$43,878,334

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both producer Paul Webster and co-writer/co-executive producer Anthony Fingleton have uncredited cameos in the film. Webster is the guy who breaks into Lizzie's car and steals her purse and Fingleton is one of the wine tasters at Charles' wine tasting party.

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Goofs

Obvious double when Fred slides down the banister.

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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!

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Shock Treatment (2014)

User Reviews

A quirky, off-beat, fun movie!

I would call this a dark comedy since it had a lot of the elements of the genre: sad moments with odd humor attached to it, and the strange, fantasy character of Fred. At first I thought "this is a very weird film!", and it is, but it grows on you and pretty soon you are having fun watching Fred's antics. I think this film definitely has the potential of having a large audience, so get out the word!