Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsPrimetime EmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalFall TV GuideMost Anticipated This MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayTrending peopleCelebrity news
    IMDb LabsHelp centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
    Some content may be auto-translated
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Drop Dead Fred

  • 1991
  • PG-13
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
34K
YOUR RATING
Phoebe Cates and Rik Mayall in Drop Dead Fred (1991)
Dark ComedySlapstickComedyDramaFantasy

A young woman's already-unstable life is rocked by the presence of the rambunctious imaginary friend from her childhood.A young woman's already-unstable life is rocked by the presence of the rambunctious imaginary friend from her childhood.A young woman's already-unstable life is rocked by the presence of the rambunctious imaginary friend from her childhood.

  • Director
    • Ate de Jong
  • Writers
    • Elizabeth Livingston
    • Carlos Davis
    • Anthony Fingleton
  • Stars
    • Phoebe Cates
    • Rik Mayall
    • Marsha Mason
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    34K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ate de Jong
    • Writers
      • Elizabeth Livingston
      • Carlos Davis
      • Anthony Fingleton
    • Stars
      • Phoebe Cates
      • Rik Mayall
      • Marsha Mason
    • 227User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
    • 25Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro

    • Videos1

    Drop Dead Fred
    Trailer 0:31
    Drop Dead Fred

    Photos148

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 141
    View Poster

    Top Cast32

    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
    Keith Charles
    • Murray
    Ashley Peldon
    Ashley Peldon
    • Young Elizabeth
    Daniel Gerroll
    Daniel Gerroll
    • Nigel
    Ron Eldard
    Ron Eldard
    • Mickey Bunce
    Eleanor Mondale
    Eleanor Mondale
    • Attractive Customer
    Bob Reid
    • Judge Dubben
    Peter Thoemke
    Peter Thoemke
    • Arsonist
    Sjoukje De Jong Douma
    • Grandma Bunce
    Paul Holmes
    Paul Holmes
    • Man in Speedboat
    Steve Cochran
    Steve Cochran
    • Waiter #1
    Robert Meyzen
    • Waiter #2
    Daniel Buchen
    • Doctor Ryland
    Marie Mathay
    • Concerned Mom
    • Director
      • Ate de Jong
    • Writers
      • Elizabeth Livingston
      • Carlos Davis
      • Anthony Fingleton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews227

    6.034.1K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Drop Dead Fred' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
    Sign in to see this summary and all user reviews
    See opinions from fans, or write your own review.
    Sign in to IMDb
    This extra step helps us keep IMDb's reviews a space for genuine, human voices.

    More like this

    The Young Ones
    8.2
    The Young Ones
    Bottom
    8.3
    Bottom
    Guest House Paradiso
    6.2
    Guest House Paradiso
    Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island
    7.8
    Bottom Live 3: Hooligan's Island
    Bottom Live
    8.3
    Bottom Live
    Bottom Live: The Big Number 2 Tour
    8.0
    Bottom Live: The Big Number 2 Tour
    Bottom 2001: An Arse Oddity
    7.3
    Bottom 2001: An Arse Oddity
    Drop Dead Fred
    Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
    6.4
    Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
    Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger
    7.5
    Dangerous Brothers Present: World of Danger
    Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
    7.3
    Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour
    Gremlins 2: The New Batch
    6.5
    Gremlins 2: The New Batch

    Related interests

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      The scene of Polly taping up Fred into the jack-in-the-box was based on an actual incident that happened to a co-writer/executive producer Carlos Davis' friend Steve Burnette, whose mother Gloria had an imaginary friend as a child, but her mother couldn't stand the fact that her daughter had an imaginary friend. Gloria's mother finally flushed the imaginary friend down the toilet, which traumatized Gloria for three years.
    • Goofs
      When Elizabeth and Fred are on the boat she asks Fred, "What is that water doing there?" He replies, "I don't know," but his mouth is saying something else.
    • Quotes
      • Fred: [Looking up Polly's skirt] Wow.
      • [Looks at Elizabeth and points up]
      • Fred: Cobwebs.
    • Connections
      Featured in Motormouth: Episode #4.7 (1991)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    • Release date
      • May 24, 1991 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fred ¡Esfúmate!
    • Filming locations
      • Paisley Park Studios - 7801 Audubon Road, Chanhassen, Minnesota, USA
    • Production companies
      • Polygram Filmed Entertainment
      • Working Title Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Budget
      • $6,788,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $13,878,334
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,625,648
      • May 27, 1991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $13,884,358
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 43m(103 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    You have no recently viewed pages
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2026 by IMDb.com, Inc.