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Drop Dead Fred

Drop Dead Fred

Comedy · Fantasy · Family · 1991

An unhappy housewife gets a lift from the return of her imaginary childhood friend, Drop Dead Fred.

Movie details

Drop Dead Fred

“Dishes. Relationships. Wind. This Guy Breaks Everything.”

1991 Comedy · Fantasy · Family 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.8 / 10

Community rating

An unhappy housewife gets a lift from the return of her imaginary childhood friend, Drop Dead Fred.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Drop Dead Fred?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Gnome-Mobile

The Gnome-Mobile

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An eccentric millionaire and his grandchildren are embroiled in the plights of some forest gnomes who are searching for the rest of their tribe. While helping them, the millionaire is suspected of being crazy because he's seeing gnomes! He's committed, and the niece and nephew and the gnomes have to find him and free him.

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Candy Cane Lane

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A man, determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, makes a pact with an elf to help him win. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, bringing chaos to the small, unsuspecting town.

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A woman named Kit moves back to her parent's house, where she receives a mysterious invitation that would fulfill her childhood dreams.

A Dog Year

A Dog Year

Comedy · 2009

Jon Katz is close to burnout. He's a writer with writer's block; his wife has left for her sister's because he's emotionally distant; he rarely answers his phone. A kennel sends him a border collie that's undisciplined because of abuse. Despite a series of mishaps, Jon decides to keep trying with the dog, and he rents a dilapidated farm house to give the dog room to run. A local handyman refers Jon to a woman who might be able to help him train the dog. Reluctantly, Jon gives her a try. Is the dog the problem, or the owner?

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver

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Doctor Gulliver is poor, so nothing - not even his charming fiancée Elisabeth - keeps him in the town he lives. He signs on to a ship to India, but in a storm he's washed off the ship and ends up on an island, which is inhibitated by very tiny people. After he managed to convince them he's harmless and is accepted as one of their citizens, their king wants to use him in war against a people of giants. Compared to them, even Gulliver is a gnome.

A Witches' Ball

A Witches' Ball

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Every year the Witching World gathers to celebrate the newly inducted witches into their world. Beatrix (12) is eager to become part of this world, but when her pending magical status is jeopardized she needs the help of her furry best friend Muggs (voiced by Joey Fatone) to solve some magical riddles before the big event. Will Beatrix sink or soar on the night of the Witches' Ball?

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Ate de Jong

Written by

Anthony Fingleton · Carlos Davis · Elizabeth Livingston

Phoebe Cates

Phoebe Cates

Elizabeth

Rik Mayall

Rik Mayall

Drop Dead Fred

Marsha Mason

Marsha Mason

Polly

Tim Matheson

Tim Matheson

Charles

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher

Janie

K

Keith Charles

Murray

Ashley Peldon

Ashley Peldon

Young Elizabeth

Court is in session

Put Drop Dead Fred on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.