| Fred: The Movie | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover of the movie | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | Characters byLucas Cruikshank |
| Screenplay by | David A. Goodman |
| Directed by | Clay Weiner |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Roddy Bottum |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Scott Henriksen |
| Editor | Ned Bastille |
| Running time | 83 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Budget | $4 million (approx) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | September 18, 2010 (2010-09-18) |
Fred: The Movie (stylized asFЯED: THE MOVIE) is a 2010 Americancomedy film written byDavid A. Goodman, directed byClay Weiner and produced byBrian Robbins.[1][2] The film is based on the adventures ofFred Figglehorn, a character created and played byLucas Cruikshank for Cruikshank's YouTube channel, and it is the first film in the Fred trilogy.[3][4][5][6] The film castsSiobhan Fallon Hogan andJohn Cena as Fred's parents[7] and pop singer and actressPixie Lott as Fred's crush Judy.[8] First optioned as a theatrical release,[9] the film instead premiered on children's TV channelNickelodeon 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 ofPixie Lott as an actress.
The film was unanimously panned by critics and has a0% rating onRotten Tomatoes.[12]
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.
Huffington Post authorGreg 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 enteredprincipal photography in November 2009,[3][15][16] and completed filming on December 20.[17] After filming wrapped, ayard sale was held inSilver Lake, Los Angeles, California, to sell props, set dressing and costumes from the shoot.[18]
Brian Robbins originally optioned "Fred" as afeature film, but decided to bypass the studio system and provided major funding for the project himself. After filming was completed, excerpts were shown toNickelodeon headCyma 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 distributed by Lionsgate And 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.
Fred: The Movie was panned by critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, it hasan approval rating of 0% based on 13 reviews and anaverage rating of 2.46/10.[19]
In a review of the film onBBC Radio 5Live,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-casterSimon Mayo. He paired it with notoriously controversial European horror filmA 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.[citation needed] Additionally, the premiere ofFred: The Movie drew an audience of 7.6 million total viewers.[21]
A sequel titledFred 2: Night of the Living Fred premiered on October 22, 2011.[22] A teaser trailer was broadcast during a commercial break ofiCarly.Daniella Monet replacedJennette McCurdy in the role of Bertha andModern Family starAriel Winter also joined the cast. In addition, the character of Judy was written out. Another sequel was released calledFred 3: Camp Fred.
Fred: The Movie was released onDVD on October 5, 2010. It was also released in a triple pack box set along withFred 2: Night of the Living Fred andFred 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]
