Parents' Guide to

Drop Dead Fred

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Slapstick '90s comedy is filled with crass humor.

Movie PG-13 2003 103 minutes
Drop Dead Fred Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Tessa25
Tessa25 Adult
March 8, 2020
age 8+

I’ve watched this for as long as I could remember

I saw this really young like 5 or so. But I found Fred so funny I would only watch it for Fred and nothing else. I didn’t care about the story line cause that didn’t make sense to me. I never took the ideas form Fred though. Years later I forgot about this movie and my mom asked if I still Remember it. I’m 15 at this point. So we watched it I immediately remembered! But while I was watching I still thought it was funny still didn’t see anything wrong with it. The more I watched as I grew the more I understood it. Man it’s a little dirty, I think I get the whole thing? I’m 20 still watch it once in a while when I need a good laugh. Fred is just the only reason why I watch it. Everything else I can careless about lol

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of 1-year-old
July 14, 2019
age 9+

I seen this as a very young child and it's funnier now.

I never realized how inappropriate this movie was as a kid. I remember laughing as a kid at the "no panties" reference because underwater jokes were funny to me as a little kid and now that I fully understand the context as more than just a "no panties" joke, I wonder why my grade school showed it alot to the 1st and 2nd grade class. The humor went way above my head and it was only the potty jokes that got me laughing as a kid. If memory serves me correctly not only does DDF say the word "major b*tch" but also says "p*ss off" to make him go away. I remember alot of the movie but it's been years since the last time I have seen it. It's good but it takes a very specific sense of humor to actually enjoy it and certain themes in this movie are depressing when you revisit the film as an adult. The child psychologist part is especially depressing and sends a disturbing message about mental health and medicine used to treat it. Since that will likely go over kids heads it can be viewed at around 8 or 9 years old due to language. The other stuff will go over their heads but I would also say to put off the film longer if you don't want to answer questions the child might have if they ask alot of questions.

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Elizabeth (Phoebe Cates) has left her cheating husband (Tim Matheson) to move back in with her domineering mother (Marsha Mason). While back in her childhood bedroom, she stumbles across an old jack-in-the-box that is taped shut. She reopens the box, and out comes her imaginary childhood friend, Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall), who is still just as mischievous, obnoxious, and playful as he was back when Elizabeth was just a little girl making giant mud pies, breaking valuables, and causing all kinds of trouble with him. Now, Drop Dead Fred must find a way to convince Elizabeth that it's OK for her to be herself, in spite of what her lying husband and manipulative mother tell her, as they scheme to send Elizabeth to a psychiatrist who prescribes pills that do away with imaginary friends like Drop Dead Fred.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (14):

It's obnoxious, crass, gross, and firmly dated in the early 1990s. But in spite of (or because of) this, DROP DEAD FRED is a hilariously juvenile comedy that also tries to show the importance and value in being true to yourself. Drop Dead Fred is played by the brilliant British comedic actor Rik Mayall, and while his general behavior and dialogue in this one might grow tiresome for those who don't appreciate this level of silliness and slapstick, in the right mindset, this is, on the whole, as imaginative as it is zany.

While the movie would most likely plant some bad ideas into the heads of impressionable younger kids, for older kids and parents, especially those who had imaginary friends when they were younger, Drop Dead Fred is a joyful evocation of childhood anarchy, of limitless energy and boundless imagination.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different types of violence in movies and TV shows. What makes the moments of violence in this movie cartoonish, as opposed to realistic or graphic?

  • What makes this a slapstick comedy, as opposed to another type of comedy?

  • In this movie, kids (and Elizabeth as an adult) with imaginary friends are shown as being in need of psychiatric and pharmaceutical help. Do you think the use of pills on children with imaginary friends curtails their active imaginations and personalities, or does it help them to live normal and productive lives?

Movie Details

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