Editing Drop Dead Fred

{{short description|1991 film by Ate de Jong}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Drop Dead Fred
| image          = Drop dead fred ver1.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Ate de Jong]]
| producer       = [[Paul Webster (producer)|Paul Webster]]
| screenplay     = [[Carlos Davis (screenwriter)|Carlos Davis]]<br />[[Tony Fingleton|Anthony Fingleton]]
| story          = Elizabeth Livingston
| starring       = {{Plainlist| 
* [[Phoebe Cates]]
* [[Rik Mayall]]
* [[Marsha Mason]]
* [[Tim Matheson]]
* [[Carrie Fisher]]
}}
| music          = [[Randy Edelman]]
| cinematography = [[Peter Deming]]
| editing        = Marshall Harvey
| studio         = [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment|PolyGram]]<br />[[Working Title Films]]
| distributor    = [[New Line Cinema]] (North America)<br />[[The Rank Organisation|Rank Film Distributors]] (United Kingdom)<ref>{{cite web|title=Drop Dead Fred (1991)|website=[[BBFC]]|access-date=21 March 2023|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/drop-dead-fred-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtm0odg|archive-date=21 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321090153/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/drop-dead-fred-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtm0odg|url-status=live}}</ref><br />Manifesto Film Sales (International)
| released       = {{Film date|1991|5|24|United States|1991|10|11|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 101 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom<br />United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $6.7 million (est.) or £3,650,000<ref name="org">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|page=22|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing|website=British Film Institute|year=2005|access-date=2020-11-29|archive-date=2015-09-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912042419/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross          = $24 million<ref name=ww>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=14 December 1998|page=102|title=15 years of production}}</ref>
}}
'''''Drop Dead Fred''''' is a 1991 [[black comedy]] [[fantasy film]] directed by [[Ate de Jong]], produced by [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment|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]], [[Tim Matheson]], [[Carrie Fisher]] and [[Ron Eldard]] in supporting roles. It follows Elizabeth as she is haunted by Fred in adulthood. It received negative reviews from critics, but has since become a [[cult film]].

==Plot==
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 caused her nanny to quit. Elizabeth realizes Fred is now with Natalie, although she cannot see him anymore.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Phoebe Cates]] as Elizabeth Cronin
**[[Ashley Peldon]] as Young Elizabeth
* [[Rik Mayall]] as Drop Dead Fred
* [[Marsha Mason]] as Polly Cronin
* [[Ron Eldard]] as Michael "Mickey" Bunce
* [[Carrie Fisher]] as Janie
* [[Tim Matheson]] as Charles Gretterson
* [[Daniel Gerroll]] as Nigel Cronin
* [[Keith Charles (actor)|Keith Charles]] as Murray
* Cheryl Hawker as Nurse
* Peter Breitmayer as Go to Hell Herman
* Clark Niederjohn as Velcro Head
* Tom Bethke as Graggy
* Elizabeth Gray as Namby Pamby
* [[Bridget Fonda]] as Annabella (uncredited)
* [[Eleanor Mondale]] as Attractive customer
* Bob Reid as Judge Dubben
* Peter Thoemke as Arsonist
}}

==Production==
[[Tim Burton]] and [[Robin Williams]] were offered the roles of director and Fred, respectively. They turned them down.<ref name="denofgeek">{{cite web |date=September 1, 2017 |first=Mark |last=Harrison |url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/drop-dead-fred/257794/drop-dead-fred-looking-back-on-a-cult-classic |title=Drop Dead Fred: Looking Back On A Cult Classic |website=[[Den of Geek]] |access-date=August 18, 2019 |archive-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012124245/http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/drop-dead-fred/257794/drop-dead-fred-looking-back-on-a-cult-classic |url-status=live }}</ref>

The film's screenplay was rewritten by director [[Ate de Jong]] and producer [[Paul Webster (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."<ref name=Larman />

Filming took place in August and September 1990. Filmed in [[Minneapolis]], a large part of the film was filmed at [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]'s [[Paisley Park]] Studios in the suburb of [[Chanhassen]].

==Reception==

===Box office===
{{Anchor|Release}}
The film, produced on a budget of just under $6.8&nbsp;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.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=dropdeadfred.htm |title= Drop Dead Fred (1991) |work= [[Box Office Mojo]] |date= 1991-07-02 |access-date= 2014-06-10 |archive-date= 2014-07-14 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140714213125/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=dropdeadfred.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> It grossed £1,794,121 in the UK and $24 million worldwide.<ref name="org"/><ref name=ww/>

===Critical response===
{{RT data|prose|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.|ref=yes}} {{Metacritic film prose|25|19|ref=yes|access-date=2025-04-04}}

[[Gene Siskel]] gave the film zero stars and said "This is easily one of the worst films I've ever seen."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/05/24/backdraft-a-spectacle-graced-by-fine-acting/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720065057/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-05-24/entertainment/9102160488_1_backdraft-drop-dead-fred-firemen|archive-date=20 July 2014 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |title='Backdraft': A Spectacle Graced by Fine Acting |date=24 May 1991 |first=Gene |last=Siskel |author-link=Gene Siskel |url-access=subscription |access-date=24 July 2020}}</ref> Film critic Johanna Steinmetz suggested that its premise was inspired by children with [[imaginary friend]]s who later develop [[dissociative identity disorder]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Steinmetz |first=Johanna |title=Pop psych can't bring 'Dead Fred' to life |work=[[The Chicago Tribune]] |date=24 May 1991 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-05-24-9102160453-story.html |access-date=12 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312165353/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-05-24-9102160453-story.html |archive-date=12 March 2023 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 (1950 film)|Harvey]]''."<ref name="radiotimes">{{cite web |year=1991 |first= Peter |last=Freedman |title=Drop Dead Fred – review |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/k9t2m/drop-dead-fred/ |website=Radio Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604055756/https://www.radiotimes.com/film/k9t2m/drop-dead-fred/ |archive-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref> Angie Errigo of ''[[Empire (magazine)|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."<ref>{{cite web |date= 1 January 2000 |first= Angie |last= Errigo |title= Drop Dead Fred |url= https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/drop-dead-fred-review/ |website= [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date= 19 August 2019 |archive-date= 19 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190819013530/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/drop-dead-fred-review/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

Retrospective reviews continued to pan the film for being anything but funny. In a 2002 review published by ''astralresearch.org'', composer [[Carl Schroeder (composer)|Carl Schroeder]] saw no humour in the comedy, writing that the lead character's "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."<ref>{{cite web |first=Carl |last=Schroeder |author-link= Carl Schroeder (composer) |title=Review of ''Drop Dead Fred'' |website=astralresearch.org |date=2002-09-28 |url=http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=Drop%20Dead%20Fred&year=1991&index=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021216151606/http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=Drop%20Dead%20Fred&year=1991&index=1 |archive-date=2002-12-16}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' in 2009, Margaret Lyons asked, "Is it supposed to be hilarious, or a really, really depressing story about the long-term effects of emotional abuse?"<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Margaret |last=Lyons |title='Drop Dead Fred' remake: Let's not flick boogers at it just yet |url=https://ew.com/article/2009/04/28/drop-dead-fred-3/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=April 28, 2009}}</ref> [[Leonard Maltin]] stated, "Phoebe Cates' appealing performance can't salvage this putrid mess...recommended only for people who think nose-picking is funny."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maltin|first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Maltin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iPMxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA390|title=Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era (Previously Published as Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide)|year=2017|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-525-53631-4|page=390|language=en|access-date=2023-05-17|archive-date=2023-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517225440/https://books.google.com/books?id=iPMxDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA390|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite being a critical failure, the film has gained some status as a [[cult film]], though still noted for being "rife with hypocrisy".<ref name="denofgeek" /><ref>{{cite web |first=Loryn |last=Stone |title=Drop Dead Fred – The Cult Classic Rife with Hypocrisy |website=poplurker.com |date=16 December 2017 |url=https://poplurker.com/2017/12/16/drop-dead-fred-the-cult-classic-rife-with-hypocrisy/ |access-date=19 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819012214/https://poplurker.com/2017/12/16/drop-dead-fred-the-cult-classic-rife-with-hypocrisy/ |archive-date= 19 August 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Writing for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' in 2021, [[Alexander Larman]] praised the film, calling it "a sophisticated and ahead-of-its-time black comic exploration of anxiety and depression."<ref name=Larman>{{cite news |first=Alexander |last=Larman |title=Rik Mayall's mental health misadventure: how Drop Dead Fred repelled America |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=15 May 2021 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/rik-mayalls-mental-health-misadventure-drop-dead-fred-repelled/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216170714/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/rik-mayalls-mental-health-misadventure-drop-dead-fred-repelled/ |archive-date=16 December 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Schizotypal personality disorder]]
* [[Maladaptive daydreaming]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{mojo title}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{TCMDb title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drop Dead Fred}}
[[Category:1991 films]]
[[Category:1991 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1991 independent films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:American black comedy films]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:British black comedy films]]
[[Category:British fantasy films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:Films about imaginary friends]]
[[Category:Films scored by Randy Edelman]]
[[Category:Films set in 1970]]
[[Category:Films set in 1991]]
[[Category:Films set in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Films shot in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Magic realism films]]
[[Category:New Line Cinema films]]
[[Category:PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Working Title Films films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ate de Jong]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s British films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]