Drop Dead Fred DVD > Reviews > No panties. No panties.

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Indifferent to it
Story	Very ordinary
Characters / Performances	Unmemorable
Special Effects	Unmemorable
How does it compare to similar films?	Unmemorable

Advantages:	not many
Disadvantages:	childish humour

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Another of my multitude of review drafts which I have finally been inspired to complete after reading another review of this DVD (finally a draft which has actually been saved!)

Drop Dead Fred is a film I saw first in my mid teens on TV and wasnt all that impressed with but when I went to uni it was a favourite of one of my flatmates and eventually I have ended up liking this rather childish and infantile film about a woman learning to grow up.

Elizabeth is the 'real' person in the film, Fred of the title her childhood imaginary friend. The one with whom she dirtied her mothers newly cleaned carpets, made mud pies and assisted in 'robbing' the house. As is the way she grew up and forgot Fred, or did she?

Fred reappears in her life as she has split up from her husband, she is a very naive woman, still very childlike in many ways. It seems that as she grew up she has substituted her strong willed mother for an equally strong husband and chosen to let them guide her. To the viewer who can see both Fred and Elizabeth know that she really isnt tough enough to do the things that occur by herself but it is Fred leading her. Through the events in the film Elizabeth is learning to speak for herself, as well as trying not to fall for her childhood friend who is in some ways in awe of her misbehaviours, and win back her husband. Her misdeeds have by this point has included the sinking of her best friend Janie's house boat, and assorted odd behaviour at a very posh party.

But her mother and husband have decided that something must be done, and she is taken to a psychologist to try and get rid of Fred. While in the waiting room there is a fun scene with Fred meeting the other 'imaginary' friends of children whos parents like Elizabeth's mother have reached the point at which the friend has to go!

Fred is played by Rik Mayal and is the only one of he main characters in the film who I would recognise but other people are Phoebe Cates (Elizabeth), Marsha Mason (her mother), Carrie Fisher (Janie) and Tim Matheson (her husband).

The DVD has no special features and is rated 12, as there are no special features the whole thing lasts just 100 minutes.

Overall it is an amusing film but not one that I would watch alot, occasionally when I am in the mood for something particularly infantile (more often than not when I'm drunk as has been the case so far). It is a fairly typical Rik Mayal film in its humour so would appeal to fans of his but to be honest that he features could be a major minus for this film also.

My copy was bought from HMV in the sale and cost me £1.50 so for the money I cant complain but if I had paid any more I would be quite disappointed, and in fact after considering my responses to the film I am very unsure as to why I enjoyed the film and why I did buy it in the end!