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  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
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  • English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • French: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • German: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Russian: Dolby Digital Stereo
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    Drop Dead Fred
    Universal/Universal . R4 . COLOR . 95 mins . PG . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    Lot's of children have invisible friends. But most of them don't come back into your life when you're an adult.

    And most aren't as constantly frenetic, manic and totally wonderfully insane as Drop Dead Fred, played here by Rik Mayall in the frenetic, manic way he invented back in the Comic Strip television days, and honed to perfection in the classic The Young Ones.

    He's one of the great modern comedians. And Drop Dead Fred is worth seeing for his performance as a perpetually five-year-old wilful 'invisible friend' who is young Lizzie Cronin's best -- and often worst -- friend as a child, and who comes back when Lizzie is an adult and needs that special friend most. Or does she?

    Phoebe Cates is convincing as the grown-up Lizzie, and Rik Mayall is worth the price of admission alone. But his exuberant performance can't disguise the fact that the story is just a tad thread-bare. When Rik isn't exploding on-screen, the film just about stops dead in its tracks.

    But see it for Rik -- pity the film as a whole doesn't quite measure up to him.

      Video
      Audio
      Extras
    Contract

    The transfer is anamorphic, in good quality without too much sign of image degradation of any kind. It's just not an especially brilliant transfer in any way -- sort of pedestrian, just like much of the movie.

    Sound is presented in basic stereo, and is clear at all times, though lacking any sort of ooomph.

    There are no Special Features of any kind.


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  •   And I quote...
    "The constantly frenetic, manic and totally wonderful Rik Mayall enlivens an otherwise pedestrian comedy about the 'invisible friend' from hell."
    - Anthony Clarke
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Panasonic A330
    • TV:
          Loewe Profil Plus 3272 68cm
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