— by ESTHER RYKACZEWSKI —
From Derf Films and Varsity Pictures comes the highly-anticipated Independent film of the season: “Fred: The Movie” (directed by Clay Weiner and produced by Brian Robbins and Gary Binkow).
The film had its world premiere on Nickelodeon Sept. 18 and is now available on DVD. The premiere drew an audience of 7.6 million total viewers, making it the number-one children’s TV cable movie of 2010.
The film follows Fred Figglehorn (the character created by and played by YouTube sensation Lucas Cruikshank) as he travels on a quest to “rescue” Judy (played by singer-songwriter-actress Pixie Lott), after she (according to Fred) is “taken against her will” and her parents move away.
Fred encounters numerous (hilarious) stops, obstacles and unfamiliar characters along the way. And, of course, we get to hear favorite phrases (“Oh my gammit!”), words (“Squirrels!”), screams and even see familiar actions and emotions from Fred. (Of note: In the webisodes, Fred is only 6 years old; this was changed for the film, making him a 15-year-old Fred.)
Throughout the film, we also see the familiar characters such as Fred’s bully neighbor (who always seems to find a way to easily torture Fred), Kevin (played by Jake Weary), Fred’s kooky next-door neighbor Bertha (played by none other than Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon hit series “iCarly”), Fred’s inattentive mom (played by Siobhan Fallon Hogan, who has appeared in numerous film’s and television series), and, of course, the cool loner Derf (who is also played by Lucas Cruikshank). We also see Fred’s dad (played by professional wrestler John Cena) who “is not around.” Fred’s dad is only seen popping in and out of Fred’s living-room, making viewers come to the conclusion that he is only a fragment of Fred’s imagination, of what he imagines his dad to be like.
While watching this film, one can sometimes see the obvious coming within a scene, but even knowing what is about to happen does not stop one from laughing hysterically.
Although filming only lasted about a month, this film was led by a hilarious (and talented) cast and strong crew. “Fred: The Movie” is hilariously, insanely, indiscriminately and purposelessly all around good.
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