Year: 1991
Rating: PG-13
Tagline: "Dishes. Relationships. Wind. This guy breaks everything."
Reasons they shouldn’t see it as a kid: Even though it's rated PG-13, the mere premise of this movie seems kid-friendly at first: it’s about an imaginary friend! However, Fred is anything but kid-friendly, as his childish antics cause more harm than good, and his real friend, Lizzie, is actually a grown woman going through a fair amount of difficult adult issues. The movie features a pretty endless stream of profanity, and even though Fred is supposed to be hilarious, his behaviors could be very frightening for a young child — like when his head gets stuck in the fridge and he manages to get himself out with a flat face and giraffe-like neck.
When they should see it: I watched this movie as a child and turned out fine, but it’s one of those films that you watch now and think, “Wow, this is messed up.” Because a majority of the plot has to do with Lizzie’s overbearing mother and her cheating husband — and because Fred has a serious potty mouth — I’d save this one for a teen.
