Eric Stevenson I am proud in a weird way to say that I've know seen all of Doug Walker's picks for the Top 3 worst movies he's ever reviewed. Well, he's probably changed it by now. I'd love to see an update! We all knew "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" would be his #1 spot, but I was eager to see his #2 spot, which happens to be this film. A work friend of mine even said this was the first movie HE saw that he sincerely hated. It's just amazing how many little awful things there are in his movie. This movie tells the story of a woman and her imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred.First off, the special effects are really stupid and annoying. There's about one good shot they put all their budget into. There's a running gag where she sneezes and Fred flies around in this stupid manner. The worst is probably how he calls her Snotface and she's actually inspired to put her boogers on other people's faces. It's as stupid as it sounds. Fred causes mayhem by walking in dog poop and getting the floor all dirty. Fred is unbelievably annoying and is relentlessly obnoxious when he first appears right on screen. Flashbacks show Fred teaching her as a little girl to rob her parents.Her dad gets arrested for something that wasn't his fault and we literally never hear of him again. Yes, Fred was supposed to bring balance to the woman's life but he got her dad arrested. This other guy walks on a tree because he knew she'd run out of her window, what? Every joke is predictable. We know that they're going to drop the teapot after they mention it's expensive. We know Fred will smash the window when he says he'll be careful. Apparently, Fred also knew that destroying her friend's (played by Carrie Fisher, RIP) home would make her live off the insurance. It's obnoxious, unfocused and all around stupid. *

Paul Magne Haakonsen The reason for why I initially purchased this 1991 comedy at the local secondhand DVD store was because of Rik Mayall, the late, great British comedy genius.I haven't seen "Drop Dead Fred" before now in 2016, 25 years after it was initially released. Shame on me, I know. And it was an error on my behalf, because this is a very funny movie and an enjoyable movie as well. And Rik Mayall really do put on a very good performance as the imaginary friend Drop Dead Fred. I was laughing a good amount throughout the course of the movie, especially because of the hilarious situations that Elizabeth (played by Phoebe Cates) ended up in because of her imaginary friend.Rik Mayall is quite well-cast for the menacing make-believe friend, and he seemed to be given free hands to do what he wanted with the character. I was more than genuinely entertained by his comedy in this 1991 movie, his brush with Hollywood, although he was always more at home in the British comedy.Aside from an all-over-the-screen Rik Mayall, then Phoebe Cates also did perform nicely in "Drop Dead Fred" and borough her usual charms. It was a nice treat to have the Princess herself in the movie for a supportive role, that being Carrie Fisher, of course."Drop Dead Fred" is a fast paced comedy with lots of laughs.

TheBlueHairedLawyer I recently found out that plans are underway to remake Drop Dead Fred, which I'm really dreading. You can put as much CGI and cell phone usage in a remake as you want, modernizing it doesn't make something good. To me the original will always be better, hands-down.What's sad about Drop Dead Fred is that the girl in it has a very controlling mother who wants her daughter, above all else, to be "a normal" so that she can keep her own high reputation. Her husband loves Elizabeth, or Lizzie, and encourages her to use her imagination. When Lizzie invents an imaginary friend, Drop Dead Fred, a mischievous man with bright orange hair and a British accent, her mom is furious. She believes her child may need psychiatric care and medication for having a pretend friend, and after separating Lizzie from her beloved friend her husband becomes frustrated and leaves.As Lizzie grows up grounded in reality, it isn't all her mom cracked it up to be. Lizzie is forced to move back in with her mom and ends up reuniting with Drop Dead Fred, much to her mom's horror. She immediately wants Lizzie put on a medication that will kill off Drop Dead Fred, without her daughter's consent, but somehow Drop Dead Fred survives.Believe me, keeping an imaginary friend a secret as an adult isn't easy by any means. It's considered normal when you're six but as you get to be a teenager, and then an adult, it's not just "cute" to adults, it's considered weird, wrong and insane. This movie terrified me when I first saw it; I was fifteen and knew very little about medication, and honestly believed that the fictional "normal pills" in the movie really existed. What I discovered when I got older, equally disturbing, is that many medications used to treat supposed and real mental illnesses are often not recommended for or tested with children and teens, but they are still prescribed in Canada.The acting in this movie is amazing, especially from Phoebe Cates, who also stared as Kate in the 1980's Christmas horror classic Gremlins. Rick Mayall and Ashley Peldon were also really great in their roles. The soundtrack was pretty good and the story certainly is original, with slight similarities to the books Syd the Imaginary Friend by Alice Dawn and Magic by William Goldman.The strained relationship between Lizzie and her snotty mom is incredibly depressing to watch. There are tons of "modern moms" out there who say that raising a child with a solid plan, grounded in reality from the day they're born, is the best way. They don't want their children to have an imagination at all. To take away something like that from a child's life is not only harmful, but it stops them from leading their own unique life. And imaginary friends, at least in my opinion, are not dangerous or unhealthy for children or adults to have, so long as they aren't a malevolent voice whispering to harm others or whispering suicidal thoughts. Anyone can have an imaginary friend and lead a productive life as long as they still have some sense of what's imaginary and what's real. Some imaginary friends might be a child's only support in times of abuse, divorce, tragedy, etc. The same goes for adults.I really hope this wonderful film isn't dragged into the remake heap of today's generation. It does have mild crude humor and bad language, but in moderation. Drop Dead Fred is one of the most original films out there and doesn't need a remake to be timeless, I'd recommend it any day over a remake.

lowennadude After recently becoming a Rik Mayall fan, I took a break from watching zombie flicks all day to check out this hilarious and heart warming film where Mayall acts as Drop Dead Fred, an energetic and spontaneous child-hood imaginary friend to a 26 year old girl, Elizabeth. Her life has encountered numerous discomforting events and thus she needs some spirit brought back into her. This PG film is sprinkled with unforgettable funny quotes, unique characters, life- questioning provokes (such as about shared reality vs individual reality), mischievous scenes and beautiful friendship scenes. Heck, I sobbed at one point… Therefore, I find Drop Dead Fred a lovely reminder of childhood adventures. Maybe you will as well.Also, just a relevant though~ I think Fred looks like a cross between Vyvyan and Rick from The Young Ones, since he's played by Rick's actor, has orange hair in this film and has an over-the- top personality like the both of them. What a fitting mix!