Parents' Guide to

Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

An improvement on the original, but Fred's still Fred.

Movie G 2012 83 minutes
Fred 2: Night of the Living 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 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Hailey Spring
Hailey Spring Parent of 7, 12 and 15-year-old
June 13, 2019
age 8+

There’s Just Something About It

There’s just something about this movie. I find it very funny and entertaining. It’s not the greatest thing I’ve seen, but it’s still totally awesome for kids and adults!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
RobbyWBoy16
RobbyWBoy16 Adult
January 2, 2012
age 8+

Fred 2: Night Of The Living Fred

not as many laughs as #1 fred movie, but still fred can be him self in both.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

FRED 2: NIGHT OF THE LIVING FRED follows the antics of Fred Figglehorn (Lucas Cruikshank), a madcap middle-schooler with a flair for the dramatic whose world is turned upside down when his beloved but incompetent music teacher goes missing and is replaced by a sketchy character named Mr. Devlin (Seth Morris). Everyone -- including Fred's starry-eyed mom (Siobhan Fallon Hogan) and his archenemy, Kevin (Jake Weary) -- has fallen under the suave Mr. Devlin's spell, but his unusual habits lead Fred to believe that he's a vampire, and Fred sets out to prove his hunch correct. When things get out of hand and the truth comes out, Fred calls on the help of his best friend, Bertha (Daniella Monet), and a new ally, Talia (Ariel Winter), to set things straight.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (40):

YouTube sensation Fred returns in this slightly improved sequel that serves up more of the outrageous scenarios and pre-pubescent screeching that's made Fred (and Cruikshank) an Internet star. He's a hit with the tween set, much to the chagrin of plenty of parents who loathe both his flair for the dramatic and his use of his own variety of slang cursing. When it comes to this brand of comedy, you either love it or you hate it, and the line slices pretty close to the generational divide. Of course, that's partly due to the fact that tweens will pick out some of the stuff you might not notice, like spoofs of Twilight and cameos by some of their favorite actors from shows like So Random! and Supah Ninjas, but on the whole, it's just not a comedy style most parents will like.

If your tweens are already fans, there's little hope that they won't want to check out this sequel, but there is some good news. Compared to the original, this movie takes some care to tone down a lot of the content that was most unpalatable to parents. Fred's now the object of an innocent crush from a younger girl rather the instigator of a shockingly obsessive one, the issue of his mom's alcoholism never comes up (though she's still not Mom of the Year), he's more self-confident and less susceptible to bullying classmates, and overall, there are fewer episodes of his manic hyperactivity. What's more, the story incorporates some marginally positive messages about judging people, using the Internet responsibly, respecting differences, and taking ownership of your mistakes. Bottom line? It's still not really worthwhile, but at least it's a small improvement on the original.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about comedy. Do you think Fred's character is funny? Did you find this movie funny? How did it compare to the original? If you did like it, is it because of Fred or in spite of him?

  • Tweens: How has the Internet changed the way we're entertained? In what ways has it equalized the opportunity to become famous? Is Fred evidence of that? Do you think Lucas Cruikshank would have been successful in the pre-Internet days?

  • What, if any, incidents of advertising did you notice in this movie? Do you think they were there intentionally? Does product placement really impact your consumption habits?

Movie Details

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