Review of Drop Dead Fred (1991) by C.m. W — 27 Jun 2013

This quirky comedy from Dutch director Ate de Jong shares psychiatric themes dealing with abuse, madness, imaginary friends, and mental illness. Of course, all of these themes, however interesting and sparse in most comedies, are not well represented and are used to exploit bad jokes and queer physical comedy.

Actually, what bothers and annoys most in this film is the performance from one person in particular, and that is comedian Rik Mayall as the eponymous Drop Dead Fred. Famous in England for his over-the-top stand-up comedy routines, here Mayall plays an imaginary friend to Elizabeth, played by Phoebe Cates.

She is in an emotionally abusive relationship with her husband, Charles, played by Tim Matheson, and controlled by her domineering mother, played by Marsha Mason. Cates plays her role very quietly and in a distinguished way, which is odd in comparison to that of Rik Mayall, who is a loudmouthed, thoughtless, relentlessly irritating nincompoop.

His performance is beyond comparison, because it doesn't make any sense in context with the rest of the situations presented during the film. If he exists to work through Elizabeth's inner turmoil, and does so throughout the film, than why does he have her commit crimes, or basically ruin her own life in the process of leaving her husband and finding her own strength? While the basic story is not terrible or anything resembling clichéd, the characters do these baffling and always misguided things that infuriate you as the viewer.

This ranges from people throwing pasta in restaurants and calling it impulsive fun, to friends being okay with getting her home totaled and then she beats up a figurative man that she can't see. Everyone in this film is just unfortunate and misguided at every turn.

There are some decidedly funny laughs to be had once in a while, but the overall view of this film is trashy and gross.