Drop Dead Fred | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ate de Jong |
Screenplay by | Carlos Davis Anthony Fingleton |
Story by | Elizabeth Livingston |
Produced by | Paul Webster |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Deming |
Edited by | Marshall Harvey |
Music by | Randy Edelman |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema (North America) Rank Film Distributors (United Kingdom) [1] Manifesto Film Sales (international) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6.7 million (est.) or £3,650,000 [2] |
Box office | $24 million [3] |
Drop Dead Fred is a 1991 black comedy fantasy film directed by Ate de Jong, produced by PolyGram and Working Title Films and released and distributed by New Line Cinema, starring Phoebe Cates as a young woman named Elizabeth Cronin and Rik Mayall as her imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred, with Marsha Mason, Carrie Fisher, Ron Eldard, Tim Matheson, and Bridget Fonda in supporting roles. It follows Elizabeth as she is haunted by Fred in adulthood. It received negative reviews from critics.
Unassertive and repressed Minneapolis court reporter Elizabeth Cronin visits her husband Charles, from whom she is separated, on her lunch break, hoping to sort out their problems. He reasserts his desire for a divorce and says that he is in love with another woman, named Annabella.
While she is at a public phone, first a man breaks into her car to steal her purse, and another steals the car itself. Forced to run back to work at the courthouse, she arrives late and gets fired. As she leaves the courthouse, she runs into childhood friend Mickey Bunce, who brings up memories they shared, including those of Elizabeth's imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred. Mickey reminds her how everybody else thought she was crazy. A series of flashbacks show that though he caused havoc, he also gave her happiness and a release from her oppressive mother, Polly.
After a pep talk from her friend Janie, Elizabeth moves back in with her mother, who blames her for her divorce, and changes her appearance to impress Charles. She finds a taped-shut jack-in-the-box, and removes the tape, releasing Fred. He agrees to help her feel better, which she believes will only happen when she wins back Charles. However, his childish antics do more harm than good. He sinks Janie's houseboat, causes havoc at a restaurant, and tricks Elizabeth into attacking a violinist in a shopping mall.
Worried by Elizabeth's recent odd behavior, Polly takes her to a (children's) psychologist. In the waiting room, Fred is seen meeting up with the imaginary friends of other patients, who are all children. The doctor prescribes medication to rid her of Fred, whom he and Polly believe is a figment of her imagination. The medication also has the effect of slowly killing Fred.
Fred reminds Elizabeth that one day, while they were making a mess on the dinner table, she heard her mother coming and she imagined him hiding in a jack-in-the-box. Polly, fed up with Elizabeth playing with Fred, took the jack-in-the-box and taped it shut, essentially taking Fred away from her. The event left Elizabeth traumatized, and her father Nigel left not long after. Elizabeth then wrote a letter to Fred, saying they'd run away together. Elizabeth and Fred run away from Polly and a nurse to Charles' party.
Charles now wants her back and she is overjoyed until Fred discovers he is still cheating with Annabella and tells her. Heartbroken, she tells Fred that she cannot leave Charles because she is scared of being alone. She then passes out. They escape to a dream sequence in which she is able to reject Charles and stand up to Polly, declaring she is no longer afraid of her. She frees her imprisoned childhood self. Fred tells her that she no longer needs him, so they kiss and he disappears.
Upon awakening, Elizabeth dumps Charles and stands up to Polly. Before leaving, she reconciles with Polly and encourages her to find a friend to escape her own loneliness. Days later she visits Mickey and his daughter Natalie, who blames Drop Dead Fred for the mischief that just causes her nanny to quit. Elizabeth realizes Fred is now with Natalie, although she cannot see him anymore.
Tim Burton and Robin Williams were offered the roles of director and Fred, respectively. They turned them down. [4]
The film's screenplay was rewritten by director Ate de Jong and producer Paul Webster throughout pre-production. For the rewrites, de Jong took inspiration from being molested as a child by his older half-brother, stating, "The trauma of child abuse goes deep and its claws reach far in time. It was not something ever spoken about on the set, not with Rik or anyone, but for me it existed." [5]
Filming took place in August and September 1990. Filmed in Minneapolis, a large part of the film was filmed at Prince's Paisley Park Studios in the suburb of Chanhassen. It had been a rumor since its release that Prince visited the set, but Webster debunked this in an interview with The Telegraph in 2021. [5]
The film, produced on a budget of just under $6.8 million, was released theatrically in the United States and Canada on May 24, 1991, grossing $3,625,648 on its opening weekend, and $13,878,334 over its entire theatrical run. [6] It grossed £1,794,121 in the UK and $24 million worldwide. [2] [3]
The film was critically panned upon release, but has gone on to become a cult film. [4] [7] On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 11% based on 36 reviews. The site's consensus states, "Tackling mature themes with an infantile sensibility, Drop Dead Fred is an ill-conceived family comedy that is more likely to stir up a headache than the imagination." [8] On Metacritic it has a score of 25% based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [9]
Gene Siskel gave the film zero stars and said "This is easily one of the worst films I've ever seen." [10] 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?" [11] Leonard Maltin stated, "Phoebe Cates' appealing performance can't salvage this putrid mess...recommended only for people who think nose-picking is funny." [12]
Peter Freedman of the Radio Times called it a "largely uninteresting and unfunny comedy", adding, "It's a nice idea, but it falls between all available stools and ends up as a mess on the floor thanks to the poor execution. It's particularly irritating if you've seen the much better Harvey ." [13] Angie Errigo of Empire magazine wrote, "There is scarcely a laugh to be had unless you are six years old or immoderately fond of such wheezes as depositing dog poop on a white carpet." [14]
Writing for Mystical Movie Guide, Carl 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." He went on to call the movie's resolution "startlingly beautiful." [15]
Writing for The Telegraph in 2021, Alexander Larman praised the film, calling it "a sophisticated and ahead-of-its-time black comic exploration of anxiety and depression." [5] Film critic Johanna Steinmetz suggested that its premise was inspired by children with imaginary friends who later develop dissociative identity disorder. [16]
Bottom is a British sitcom created by Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson that ran for three series on BBC2 from 1991 to 1995. It focuses on Richard "Richie" Richard (Mayall) and Edward Elizabeth "Eddie" Hitler (Edmondson), two unemployed, crude, and perverted flatmates living in Hammersmith, London, who aspire to better themselves. Bottom became known for its chaotic, nihilistic humour and violent slapstick comedy. In 2004, Bottom was ranked 45th in a BBC poll for Britain's Best Sitcom.
Christopher Papazoglou, known professionally as Christopher Ryan, is a British actor best known for his roles as Mike The Cool Person in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones, Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy series Bottom, Tony Driscoll in the BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses, and as Edina Monsoon's ex-husband Marshall Turtle in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. He has also appeared as the McKendrick twins in One Foot in the Grave, and in Doctor Who played the Mentor Kiev in Trial of a Time Lord in 1986 and Sontaran General Staal in 2008 and 2010.
Richard Michael Mayall, known professionally as Rik Mayall, was an English comedian, actor and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s.
Tyrone Edmund Power III was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include Jesse James, The Mark of Zorro, Marie Antoinette, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan, Prince of Foxes, Witness for the Prosecution, The Black Rose, and Captain from Castile. Power's own favorite film among those in which he starred was Nightmare Alley.
Annabella Gloria Sciorra is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in True Love (1989) and worked steadily throughout the 1990s in films such as Jungle Fever (1991), The Hard Way (1991), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Addiction (1995), Cop Land (1997), and What Dreams May Come (1998). She received an Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Gloria Trillo on The Sopranos (2001–2004), appeared as Detective Carolyn Barek on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005–2006), and had recurring roles on GLOW (2018), Truth Be Told (2019–2020), and Tulsa King (2022). Her stage credits include The Motherfucker with the Hat.
A Christmas Carol is a 1938 American drama film adaptation of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella of the same name, starring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve after visitations by three spirits. The film was directed by Edwin L. Marin from a script by Hugo Butler.
Guest House Paradiso is a 1999 British slapstick black comedy film written by and starring comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, who also directed in his feature directorial debut.
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis is a British comedy film directed by John Henderson, originally released in 1997. The film stars Rik Mayall, Jane Horrocks, Danny Aiello and Ross Boatman. The title and plot reference Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. It was entered into the 20th Moscow International Film Festival.
True Love is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca and starring Annabella Sciorra and Ron Eldard. An unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage which offers no "happily ever after" ending, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival.
Our Gang (1922) is an American Our Gang silent short film that was the third entry in the series to be released. It was directed by Charley Chase, Robert F. McGowan, Tom McNamara, and Fred Newmeyer. The two-reeler was released into theaters on November 5, 1922 by Pathé.
Evil Calls: The Raven, also known as The Legend of Harrow Woods, Alone in the Dark and simply as Evil Calls, is a 2011 British horror film written, produced and directed by Richard Driscoll, starring Rik Mayall, Jason Donovan, Eileen Daly, Norman Wisdom and Robin Askwith.
Janie is a 1944 film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on a 1942 Broadway play by Josephine Bentham and Herschel V. Williams Jr. The play was adapted from Bentham's 1940 novel by the same name.
The Snow Queen is a 1995 British children's animated film co-written, directed and produced by Martin Gates and inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale The Snow Queen, featuring Helen Mirren in the title role. In the film, the evil Snow Queen plans to use an enormous magic mirror to so that it will plunge the world into an eternal winter so she can rule it, but when the mirror shatters and one piece enters the young Tom's body, she kidnaps him to have all the pieces. Tom's sister Ellie and her friend, Peeps the sparrow, set out to rescue him before it is too late. A direct sequel, The Snow Queen's Revenge, was released the following year.
Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers is a 1972 American comedy film based on Neil Simon's 1969 play of the same name. Alan Arkin, Sally Kellerman, Paula Prentiss and Renée Taylor star in it.
Anthony J. Fingleton is an Australian former competitive swimmer who won silver medal in 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He was invited to participate in 1964 Summer Olympics, but instead accepted a scholarship to study at Harvard University, where he swam for the Harvard Crimson swimming team. He remained in the United States after graduation and became a screenwriter and movie producer, including the 1991 Rik Mayall film, Drop Dead Fred.
Ronald Jason Eldard is an American actor.
Adrian Charles Edmondson is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series The Young Ones (1982–1984) and Bottom (1991–1995), which he wrote together with his collaborator Rik Mayall. Edmondson also appeared in The Comic Strip Presents... series of films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. For two episodes of this he created the spoof heavy metal band Bad News, and for another he played his nihilistic alter-ego Eddie Monsoon, an offensive South African television star.
Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred is a 2011 American horror comedy film. The film is the sequel to the 2010 film Fred: The Movie, based on the adventures of Fred Figglehorn, a character created and played by Lucas Cruikshank for Cruikshank's YouTube channel. It is a Halloween-themed sequel, and it is the second film in the Fred trilogy. Jennette McCurdy, who played Bertha in the original Fred, did not return and is replaced by Daniella Monet. John Cena returns as Dad Figglehorn, and Jake Weary returns to play Kevin. Supah Ninjas star Carlos Knight co-stars as Kevin's friend and partner. Pixie Lott, who played Judy in the first film, also did not return and her character was written out; it is revealed by Fred that they broke up.
And Then There Were None is a 1945 film adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1939 mystery novel of the same name, directed by René Clair. It was released in the United Kingdom as Ten Little Indians, in keeping with the third United Kingdom title of Christie's novel. The film was released by 20th Century Fox and due to the lapsed copyright, it is now in the public domain. The film has been remastered multiple times and is freely available online.
The Premonition is a 1976 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Robert Allen Schnitzer, and starring Richard Lynch, Sharon Farrell, Danielle Brisebois, and Jeff Corey. Its plot follows a foster mother who enlists the help of a parapsychologist after her foster daughter is stalked by her mentally-unhinged biological mother and her circus clown boyfriend.