ARTISAN ENTERTAINMENT has released “DROP DEAD FRED” on dvd.  While it’s disappointing that the studio didn’t release it with its proper aspect ratio, some will be happy it’s even available.

Phoebe Cates stars as Elizabeth, a beautiful young woman, whose husband is cheating on her. When she finally decides to break off the relationship, barging into his office, he dumps her first!  Her mother takes her in, and she spends her first horrible night in her old room, crying.  Soon enough, an imaginary childhood friend, “Drop Dead Fred” appears to bring some humor, if not “peace”, to her.

As a young girl, “Fred” used to take part and encourage destructive, albeit “fun” escapades with her.  Now that she’s grown, “Fred” is determined to bring about the same obnoxious, gross, antics of childhood past until Elizabeth becomes happy once again.
The “grossness” of the film can’t be overemphasized. If one thought “BEETLEJUICE” was distasteful, “DROP DEAD FRED,” is far worse in terms of its banality.

ARTISAN has presented the film in full-frame.  While none of the scenes appear cropped, it’s not a stellar transfer.  There’s an abundance of grain in a few scenes, and colors are often muted.

ARTISAN has presented a Dolby Digital 2.0 mix.  While there’s nothing aggressive here, it’s better than we’d expected, offering some minor separation and decent fidelity. Dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion.