Drop Dead Fred is an erratic stab at making madness sensible, a slapstick nightmare that goes too sane, that tries too hard to be both good and rotten.
– Michael Wilmington,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2014
rotten:
This is easily one of the worst films I've ever seen.
– Gene Siskel,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2014
rotten:
The episodic flashbacks are cast in an unfunny Freudian light -- domineering mother, helpless hubby, the tragically withdrawn child. What a laugh riot!
– Steven Rea,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
5 May 2014
fresh:
The movie is no comic masterpiece, but it is consistently amusing in a way that sometimes reminded me of a kiddie picture and at other times of a more sophisticated comedy.
– Jay Boyar,
Orlando Sentinel,
5 May 2014
rotten:
It tries too hard to mimic Beetlejuice, especially in British comic Rik Mayall's frantic performance as the title character -- Mayall is no Michael Keaton -- but it has a whimsical comic energy.