Amazon.com

This not-quite-black comedy was probably a laugh riot on paper. The translation almost works, but the execution is flawed. Phoebe Cates is a recently separated young woman who suddenly begins to see her supposedly imagined childhood friend (Drop Dead Fred) after moving back into her mother's home. Is he a manifestation of her secret desires to ditch the boorish spouse? Or was he real all along? Rik Mayall is a limber, carrot-topped Brit with the lamentable assignment of trying to make us laugh with vulgar, sophomoric trickery. He is supposedly the repository of Cates's fastidious repression but is more annoying than cathartic. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (96)

A Friend In Need
I love this film ever since I was younger. I remember my father who had passed away, went and took me to this movie, and I had always wanted a realistic imaginary friend like Fred (played by Rik Mayall). This movie has a lot of fun memories for me. Phoebe Cates plays a now adult Lizzie who is still struggling against standing up for herself against her mom and now husband. You get to see how her and Fred hook up and why he's there in flashbacks to her childhood. To help her have fun during the rough times in her when she was little and until she's happy and standing on her own as an adult. Because that's what an imaginary friend does he/she let's you escape from realities.

Some may not get this movie. But it is a campy, classic, comedy for about young adults to adults. If you have a good sense of humor you'll get this film and it's for those who remember having imaginary friends :).

I was a little disappointed with the DVD. I was expecting commentary, and some other special extra's not too much. But it's an okay DVD. But I would give the movie itself a B+ and the DVD a C+.

Loved Drop Dead Fred!
I was in Kindergarden when my parents rented this movie, Drop Dead Fred. They were lauging so much while watching it. So of course I had to see it. After attempts after attempts to talk my mother into letting me and my 3 year sister watch it we finally did. Although we didn't understand the concept or the plot at all we loved it! We watched it everyday, if we could we'd watch it even more than once a day. It became a daily routine watching this great movie! We were so into it we believed ourselves that Fred was our imaginary friend. And let me tell you our parents were not too happy when we robbed our own house or made mud pies. Now I am a Freshman at High School, thinking about those days watching my all time favorite movie. And til this day I love it! It put so much fun into my very begining of mine and my sister's childhood. Hey, I still watch the movie and if I could I'd give it 25 stars! Everyone should see it. And if you didn't enjoy the movie I think that you ought to loosen up and get less serious about life. It had such a GREAT impact on me.

imaginary friend vs schizophrennia
the characteristics of the girl in this films problems look a lot schizophrennia.they call it a imaginary friend.a horrible mother mistreats her daughter emotionaly and even "trapped" her imaginary friend in a box when she was small.then she grew up and her life got all out of whack and her friend came back.his name is drop dead fred.he does gross and outrageous things to help the girl deal with her overbearing mother.the kids will love this one.there are a gross part or 2 but nothing like all the nasty things on tv everyday.the main chick is sexy in a girl next door-her own kind of person-do now think later kind of way.her mom as fred so lovingly describes truly is a mega-bitch!shes over the top annoying.anyone that annoying should be put to sleep as a opener to the actual movie.this IS a kids movie despite its less than kid friendly name.so let the little jokers watch it and dont get your panties in a bunch.id watch a sequel.

unusual? no it's just fred
This is a must see film. Not only is it humours, clever and dramatic through out the whole film it is that kind of weird, yet stupid humour. The director couldn't have picked a better actor for this film than Rick Mayall, I mean one look at the guy with his tossed and tattered ginger hair, his green pinstripe jacket, his yellow trousers(which are too small for him!)and not to mention his red shoes your already thinking were did he come from?! Pheobe Cates was ofcourse her serious self but still was a excellent performer! Rick Mayall you laugh before you see him and your already in stiches when you do! an excellent film! Two thumbs up from me!

At its heart, this is a movie about self empowerment.
On the surface, "Drop Dead Fred" is a comedy. And as a comedy, it's a great one. Rik Mayall, of course, if very funny. Phoebe Cates displays a genuine talent for physical comedy in several scenes - at the restaurant, at the classical music concert, and at the wine tasting party. And I just LOVE the scream that Cates lets out when Fred scares her while she's standing in front of the mirror wiping the makeup off of her face. Carrie Fisher is also very funny as a super-rigid super-serious lawyer.

However, at it's heart, this movie is a drama with some very serious issues and some very serious messages. Ultimately, this movie is about standing up for yourself. It's about taking control of your life. It's about standing up to defend yourself from the people who are tormenting you. Anyone who's ever been bullied stands to benefit from seeing this film. It really is a good form of therapy. You'll know that you're not alone. You'll know that there are other people who know how you feel. And that's one of the reaons why I love this movie so much.

Of course another reaosn I love this movie is Phoebe Cates. Her characer here is so sweet and wonderful. How can any guy see this movie and not think he's in love with her? And honestly, I think she's a better actress when she keeps her clothes on, as she does here. Throughout the course of the movie, Cates displays just about every emotion that there is. She's truly a great actress.

Kudos also go to Ashley Peldon, who does a remarkable job as the child version of Elizabeth. Tim Matheson does a perfect job portraying the jerk husband. Marsha Mason is fantastic as the evil mother. All the other actors do their jobs very well. Every role is cast perfectly.

Every scene in the movie is necessary. Nothing is wasted. Every line of dialogue counts. The flashbacks to childdhood are integrated perfectly into the rest of the movie.

There are some interesting camera angles here that I've never seen before. For example, in the flashback to where the mudpie gets made in the dining room, young Elizabeth is sitting on the chair, shaky and scared because her mother had just yelled at her. While the camera is focused on her, the camera pans 90 degrees, and then her face lights up with a smile and she says, "Hi Fred!" I've never seen that particular kind of camera shot before. I also like the way, later on when grown up Elizabeth is making the salad, the camera is *under* the pepper grinder. And during the end of the dream sequence towards the end of the movie, the various lighting and camera angles suggest a play that is being performed live on a stage.

The low budget cheesy special effects give a nice, old fashioned touch to the film. For example, the cheap physical effects of gears and other things that are shown when Velcro Head's head explodes simply would not have had the same charm if it had been done in expensive CGI.

The movie is timeless. The only real clue to when the movie takes place is that in the flashback to the breakfast scene, young Elizabeth's father is reading a newspaper with the heading about the first man on the moon.

The best part of the movie, in my opinion, is the dream sequence, and everything that comes afterwards. The last 25 minutes of this movie are what really elevate it to what it is. This is the part that really moves me the most. Of course, in order to understand it, you need to see the entire movie. And that's a good thing, because the entire movie is worth watching.

This is a movie for anyone who remembers what it's like to be a child, and for anyone who has a sense of fun and a love of life, and for anyone who's ever been hurt because of bullying. This movie has a big heart, a big sense of fun, a big sense of humor, and a big love of life. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

No 'Evil Dead'.
Not up to the standard of Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" trilogy. Some funny moments, one great death, amusing cameos. This is basically a comedy/horror retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, right down to the three-headed hound at the gates of Hades, the Styx and the instruction to not look back. Disappointing ending. Like its scenery, the movie seems a little dry and barren. Some good effects though. Some not so good.

Highway to Hell
Perhaps it's not perfect, because of lack of budget. But it is very unusual and goes way beyond the average horror flick. Somewhere behind all the strange and funny events there is a deep humanity and wisdom. This could become a undiscovered classic in fifty years from now.

Highway To Hell

I'll admit that the tone of this film was somewhat campy but that is exactly it's charm. I also found the visual effects and the cast in this movie to be more than able to pull it off. Scenes such as the convoy of VW Bugs passing Charlie Sykes (Chad Lowe) in his '48 Roadster, the Ronnie Reagan Iran Contra theme for that roadside bar Charlie Sykes stopped in on his way to Hell City and the road crew of Andy Worhols working for the Good Intentions Paving Co. all against the backdrop of the Nevada desert were pretty cool.

Check this movie out, it's good for a few laughs.

I couldn't help but enjoy it.
Okay, so this movie sucks. However, there was something about this film which made me enjoy it... and don't ask me what, because the movie wasn't funny or scary.. although Ben & Jerry Stiller's cameos were kinda funny.

Anyway.. don't expect much from this film.. but you'll probably still enjoy it.

By the way... Hellcop kinda reminded me of Scarman from the movie "Cut" (I don't know why I'm telling you this).

STRANGE HORROR COMEDY
AFTER A COUPLE ELOPES THEY TAKE AN OLD HIGHWAY BUT WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW IS IT'S A HIGHWAY TO HELL. AFTER THE WOMAN IS CAPTURED BY HELLCOP IT BECOMES AN ADVENTURE FILLED WITH ACTION, SUSPENSE AND A FEW CHEAP LAUGHS. BOTTOM LINE: BURNS UP A HELL OF A STORM. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this film, Jeroen Krabbé, who went on to distinguish himself as thebad guy in The Fugitive, plays Maarten, a biologist, who believes that cloning is the future. Unfortunately, Maarten's personal life isn't as promising as his professional one. For you see, at 33, Maarten is still a virgin.

After a dream in which God tells him he must make love to a woman in seven days or die, Maarten's subconscious "clone" appears and is cool, calm, and coordinated--everything that Maarten isn't. He tries to show Maarten how to pitch and woo, but Maarten's batting average is abysmal .

It's a busy seven days for Maarten. In addition to his goal, he mustcare for his dying mother and also attend both the wedding of his best friend and an important conference in Switzerland. As he goes about his business, he periodically remembers incidents from his isolated upbringing and his unrequited love for a girl named Martha, who is now unhappily married with three kids.

Fortunately for Maarten, Martha has a sister, all grown-up and unattached. But the question remains: Will Maarten be able to put his repressed past behind him and accomplish his goal? Or will God strike him dead?

This is a somewhat uneven, but nonetheless charming picture of a man who keeps tripping over his oedipal complex. Maarten's alter ego is a clever but underutilized device in this 1981 release, which is based on the book, Een Vlucht Regenwulpen by Dutch author Maarten 't Hart. --Luanne Brown ... Read more