DROP DEAD FRED (1991)
Special Edition Blu-ray
Label: Via Vision Entertainment
Region Code: B
Rating: PG
Duration: 96 Minutes
Audio: English PCM 2.0 Stereo (No Subtitles)
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Ate De Jong
Cast: Phoebe Cates, Rik Mayall, Tim Matheson, Carrie Fisher. Marsha Mason
Every kid has an imaginary friend at some point, heck, Molly Ringwald was my invisible girlfriend for a few weeks there in the 80s, but timid Elizabeth (Phoebe Cates, Gremlins) isn’t a kid anymore, and when her when her childhood imaginary friend Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall, Shock Treatment) returns in her late-20's this imaginary friend will cause some very real trouble. It seems that Drop Dead Fred has been absent since Elizabeth was a kiddo, but with her life spiraling downward he has returned. First her cheating hubby Charles (Tim Matheson, Animal House) dumps her for leggy blonde (Bridget Fonda, Point of No Return), then she loses her job as a court reporter, and then her car is stolen. With nowhere else to go she ends up moving back in with her overbearing mother Polly (Marsha Mason, Audrey Rose), who immediately sets about trying to fix her up so that he husband will take her back. Fred reappears to Elizabeth one night while sleeping in her childhood bedroom, and we learn that that Fred is not as imaginary as you might think. He is quite real, but he is invisible to everyone else but her, which means when he acts out and causes mischief it's usually gets the blame, or just end up looking like a complete lunatic. Fred is full grown man dressed in various leprechaun green outfits with a totally terrible ginger hairdo and the sense of humor and unbridled id of an obnoxious, foul-mouthed seven year-old.
His antic include obnoxious stuff like tracking doggy doo-doo into her mothers freshly cleaned carpets, flicking boogers and literally bouncing off the walls like an over-caffeinated Looney Tune come to life, which causes issues as she attempts to get her life back together, with the flubber-faced Fred interrupting time spent with her sympathetic bestie Janie (Carrie Fisher, The 'Burbs) and a lunch date with childhood friend Mickey (Ron Edlard, Super 8); her exasperated mum is so frazzled by her daughter's behavior she calls in a psychiatrist who specializes in patients with imaginary friends. This leads to a fun scene of Fred being reunited with a roomful of other imaginary friends, but none of the other kids can see Fred or the myriad imaginary friends, which leads to some fun POV from each of the host-kids.
This was a first time watch for me, it arrived in theaters when I was in highschool and it looked super-silly and didn't appeal to me at that time, if I had been a few years younger I'm sure it would have drawn me in though. Watching it now, in my forties, I had quite a bit of fun with it. At face value it's a fun, frantic and madcap fantasy film that rests on teh shoulders of Mayall's energetic performance, and he works well against the timid anchor of Phoebe Cates. It's also a cute love story, a weird commentary on growing up, the fear of loneliness, and it's wrapped up in a madcap comedy that is both juvenile but adult-themed, and often sad. The film is PG but the humor can be quite adult at times, with Fred peering up women's skirts, at one point after noting that a woman is not wearing underwear his eyes pop-out of his head and steams blows out his ears Tex Avery-style, predating a pretty famous scene from The Mask (1994) by a few years.
Audio/Video: Drop Dead Fred arrives on Blu-ray from Via Vision Entertainment in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. Not sure what the source for this HD master, and I have not seen the Vinegar Syndrome release to compare it to, but I thought it was quite pleasing. The vivid colors of the early 90's comes through nicely, with Fred's various green wardrobes having a nice pop to them, and the black levels are solid throughout. The sole audio option is an English PCM 2.0 stereo offering, sadly with no subtitle options. The stereo track is well-balanced, clean and crisply delivered without issue, the slapstick antics, sound effects and the Randy Edelman (Ghostbusters II) score are nicely reproduced.
This release comes well-stocked with extras, kicking-off with Audio commentary with director Ate De Jong who gets into the themes of the film beyond the humor, working with Mayall and Fisher, and how some of the special effects shots were achieved. He also touches on disagreements with the studio, and things that were cut. Its a solid info-packed track well worth indulging.
We also get a handful of Severin Films produced extras, beginning with the 33-min A conversation with director Ate De Jong and producer Paul Webster, who talk about the genesis of the story based on a short story, the casting process and what the actors were like, scenes that were cut and things changed at the request of New Line Cinema, and giving tribute to the late Mayall.
Imaginary Friends: Interviews with co-writers/executive producers Anthony Fingleton & Carlos Davis runs 27-min, who get into the various incarnations of the screenplay, how much Mayall influences the direction of the film, and touching on the casting of the film. They also get into why there was never a sequel, and how there was almost a reboot with Russell Brand at one point. The 1`1-min The Mega Bitch Speaks Out: Interview with actress Marsha Mason features the actress talking of how she took the role because she rarely had the opportunity to play the mean person, and chatting a bit about her co-stars and director Ate De Jong.
The last of the Severin produced extras is the 11-min Drop Dead Look: Interview with director of photography Peter Deming. The Evil Dead II DP started on the film a week into production and speaks about trying to get into the swing of things and the challenges of catching Mayall's energy on-camera, as well as his thoughts on the film and it's cult classic status.
The disc is buttoned-up with 27-min of Deleted Scenes & Alternate Ending that expand on quite a few shots further explaining the mental state of Elizabeth, showing more of the boat sinking, imaginary land and an alternate ending that I thought was a bit better. These are all sourced from a VHS workprint with timestamp codes, so it's not ideal but it's great to have them. The single-disc release arrives in an oversized keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original key art for the film.
Special Features:
- Audio commentary with director Ate De Jong
- A conversation with director Ate De Jong and producer Paul Webster (33 min)
- Imaginary Friends: Interviews with co-writers / executive producers Anthony Fingleton & Carlos Davis (27 min)
- The Mega Bitch Speaks Out: Interview with actress Marsha Mason (11 min)
- Drop Dead Look: Interview with director of photography Peter Deming (11 min)
- Deleted Scenes & Alternate Ending (27 min)
Drop Dead Fred (1991) offers a wild blend of mature themes and juvenile humor rolled into a wacky slapstick flick that I sort of love for how obnoxious it is. The tone is all over the place, but the performances from the let-loose Mayall and the wallflower Cates totally win me over, and it's a much more poignant film that I would have thought, but I wouldn't want to oversell it. I sort of expected to hate this based on my first impressions after seeing the trailer in '91, but it's more than what it seems while also being exactly what it looks to be... imperfect, weird, obnoxious - but still pretty awesome.
Screenshots from the Via Vision Entertainment Blu-ray:
