Fred: The Movie

Fred: The Movie (stylized as FЯED: THE MOVIE) is a 2010 American comedy film written by David A. Goodman, directed by Clay Weiner and produced by Brian Robbins.[1][2] The film is based on the adventures of Fred Figglehorn, a character created and played by Lucas Cruikshank for Cruikshank's YouTube channel, and it is the first film in the Fred trilogy.[3][4][5][6] The film casts Siobhan Fallon Hogan and John Cena as Fred's parents[7] and pop singer and actress Pixie Lott as Fred's crush Judy.[8] First optioned as a theatrical release,[9] the film instead premiered on children's TV channel Nickelodeon in the United States on September 18, 2010.[2][10][11] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film was released theatrically on December 17, 2010. This film was the debut of Pixie Lott as an actress.

Not to be confused with Fred (2014 film).

Fred: The Movie
DVD cover of the movie
GenreComedy
Based onCharacters by Lucas Cruikshank
Screenplay byDavid A. Goodman
Directed byClay Weiner
Starring
Music byRoddy Bottum
Country of originUnited States
Production
Producers
CinematographyScott Henriksen
EditorNed Bastille
Running time83 minutes
Production companies
Budget$4 million (approx)
Release
Original networkNickelodeon
Original release
  • September 18, 2010 (2010-09-18)

The film was unanimously panned and has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[12]

Plot

Fred Figglehorn is an unpopular and hyperactive 15-year-old who believes himself to be cool and a good singer. He has a crush on a girl named Judy, and is devastated to see her performing a romantic duet with his rival and bully Kevin during a music class at school. Fred aspires to one day sing with Judy, but after several failed attempts to visit her at her house, he is told by his mother that she has moved, thus, he embarks on a journey to find Judy's new house and sing with her there.

During his quest, Fred encounters many friends and foes, including a neighborhood girl named Bertha, a Hispanic man who can't speak English, two eccentric pet shop owners, a talking deer in the forest, and a bedraggled childhood friend named Evan who had gotten lost in said forest years ago. Fred eventually arrives at Judy's home, and he discovers that she is hosting a party to which he was not invited. Fred is bullied by Judy's guests, and Kevin then shoves a pizza onto Fred's shirt, causing him to unintentionally vomit on Judy's party dress. An embarrassed Fred runs home and later finds out that Kevin posted the video of him vomiting on Judy on YouTube. In an attempt to get revenge, Fred decides to throw his own party in which no one will be invited, but he invites a sympathetic Bertha over, and the two put a bunch of mannequins in different costumes and film themselves partying. The next day, Fred edits and posts the video online and his peers, believing it to be real, are jealous that they weren't invited, making Fred popular amongst them. Judy goes to Fred's house to apologize, and offers to sing with him, which he gleefully accepts.

Cast
  • Lucas Cruikshank as Fred Figglehorn – Fred is a socially awkward and extremely hyper teenager, who constantly longs for his neighbor Judy. Cruikshank also portrays Derf Nrohelggif (the protagonist's name spelled backwards): a mysterious stranger resembling Fred, yet possessing traits completely opposite to his.
    • Jack Coughlan as a younger Fred
  • Jennette McCurdy as Bertha – Fred's best friend who wears bizarre clothing, but cares little for what others think.
  • Pixie Lott as Judy – Fred's love interest. In contrast to the web series, Judy is a nice and compassionate girl who seems to care for others.
  • Jake Weary as Kevin Lebow – Fred's arch-rival who lives just across the street from him. Unlike Fred, he is a experienced singer and is as attracted to Judy as she is to him.
  • Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Hilda Figglehorn – Fred's exhausted mother, who spends most of the film napping in her bedroom.
  • John Cena as Dad Figglehorn – Fred's imaginary muscular father appears almost out of nowhere to offer Fred advice and support throughout the film.
  • Stephanie Courtney as Janet, Kevin's mother who wants him and Fred to become friends.
  • Kevin Olson as Evan Weiss a childhood friend of Fred who got lost in the woods for many years.
    • Mak Kriksciun as a younger Evan Weiss.
  • Gary Anthony Williams as Laundromat manager
  • Chris Wylde as Dam Security Guard
  • Oscar Nunez as Lorenzo
  • Jordan Black as Gary
  • Dave Silva as a Spanish mechanic, the mechanic who can't speak English.

Production

Huffington Post author Greg Mitchell made note of the film's production when noting the proliferation of web comedy and dramatic series as a perceived threat to network television.[13] The project performed casting[14] and entered principal photography in November 2009,[3][15][16] and completed filming on December 20.[17] After filming wrapped, a yard sale was held in Silver Lake, California to sell props, set dressing and costumes from the shoot.[18]

Brian Robbins originally optioned "Fred" as a feature film, but decided to bypass the studio system and provided major funding for the project himself. After filming was completed, excerpts were shown to Nickelodeon head Cyma Zarghami, who began negotiations to acquire the film. Zarghami stated that airing on Nickelodeon would give the film a large audience base and allow him to target a sequel for a theatrical release.[9] The film debuted on Nickelodeon on September 18;[11] however, it was released in British and Irish cinemas on December 17.

The movie was produced by Varsity Pictures and The Collective.

According to the director's commentary on the film, found on the DVD, there was much conflict between screenwriter David Goodman and director Clay Weiner creatively. This includes the cutting of certain references and callbacks to Fred and other related works that Goodman had written in.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 0% based on 13 reviews and an average rating of 2.46/10.[19]

In a review of the film on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mark Kermode gave the film a negative review, a large part of which he spent imitating the character Fred's distinctive scream, leading to his microphone being taken away by co-caster Simon Mayo. He paired it with notoriously controversial European horror film A Serbian Film as his least favorite viewing experiences of the year.[20]

Despite the negative response, it was the second highest viewed TV cable movie of 2010 across all networks. In the UK, it opened in the No. 8 spot, taking in £257,133 in the first week. Additionally, the premiere of Fred: The Movie drew an audience of 7.6 million total viewers.[21]

Sequels

A sequel titled Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred premiered on October 22, 2011.[22] A teaser trailer was broadcast during a commercial break of iCarly. Daniella Monet replaced Jennette McCurdy in the role of Bertha and Modern Family star Ariel Winter also joined the cast. In addition, the character of Judy was written out. Another sequel was released called Fred 3: Camp Fred.

Home media

Fred: The Movie was released on DVD on October 5, 2010. It was also released in a triple pack box set along with Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred and Fred 3: Camp Fred on December 4, 2012. On the DVD for 'Fred: The Movie', a full length director's commentary is found, recorded by director Clay Weiner, David Goodman, and star Lucas Cruikshank.[23]

References
  1. "Filmmakers Explain Decision to Make Fred Movie". New York. December 8, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  2. "Fred: The Movie to Premiere on Nickelodeon". comingsoon.net. March 25, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  3. Brooks, Barnes (December 7, 2009). "Bigger Screen for a High-Pitched Whine". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  4. Knegt, Peter (December 3, 2009). "Cruikshank cranks it up". Variety. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  5. Hustvedt, Marc (September 17, 2009). "YouTube's 'Fred', The Movie?". Tubefilter News. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  6. Cordova, Gonzalo (December 8, 2009). "Fred: The Movie To Signal Beginning of Logan's Run Type Future". CC Insider. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  7. Vadeboncoeur, Joan (January 8, 2010). "Cazenovia's Siobhan Fallon Hogan in two films". Post-Standard. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  8. "Singer Pixie Lott lands movie role". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. December 14, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  9. Schneider, Michael (March 24, 2010). "'Fred' heads to Nickelodeon". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  10. Barnes, Brooks (March 24, 2010). "'Fred: The Movie' Lands on Nickelodeon". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  11. Lucas Cruikshank (August 29, 2010). "Fred: The Movie" Official Clip – "Fred Gets Advice From His Dad About Women". Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2010 – via YouTube.
  12. "Fred: The Movie - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  13. Mitchell, Greg (December 20, 2009). "A Year-End Look at Web Series: Getting Hotter As Money, and Viewers, Move In". HuffPost. Retrieved January 14, 2010 – via Google cache.
  14. Parrack, Dave (November 9, 2009). "From YouTube To Hollywood – Fred The Movie Being Cast – Is There No Stopping Viral Video?". WebTVWire. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  15. Saltman, Laura (December 12, 2009). "YouTube Star Turned Movie Star". Access Hollywood. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  16. "Annoying YouTube Character Getting a Hollywood Movie". Worst Previews. December 8, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  17. Sanchez, Adrian (December 28, 2009). "Cruikshank's YouTube character to hit silver screen". Columbus Telegram. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  18. Hustvedt, Marc (December 18, 2009). "'Fred: The Movie' Yard Sale To Invade Silver Lake". Tubefilter News. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  19. "Fred: The Movie (2010)- Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  20. Video on YouTube
  21. "YouTube's Fred Also a Hit on TV; 'Fred: The Movie' Draws 7.6 Million Viewers". September 22, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010.
  22. Barnes, Brooks (March 24, 2010). "'Fred: The Movie' Lands on Nickelodeon - Media Decoder Blog". The New York Times.
  23. "Fred: 3-Movie Collection [DVD]: Tom Arnold, Lucas Cruikshank, Joey Bragg, Philip Albuquerque, n/a: Gateway". Amazon. n.d. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
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