One out of Five stars
Running time: 83 mins

Somewhere deep within Fred: The Movie, there's a sweet natured, slightly surreal nerd-gets-the-girl teen romance trying desperately to get out; unfortunately, the lead character is so teeth-grindingly irritating that it never has a chance.

What's it all about?
Directed by Clay Weiner, Fred: The Movie is based on the popular YouTube video character created by Lucas Cruikshank and stars Cruikshank as emotionally immature, socially awkward, tantrum-prone teenager Fred Figglehorn, who lives with his long suffering mother (Siobhan Fallon Hogan), pines after the girl next door (British pop star Pixie Lott as Judy) and gets bullied by self-proclaimed King of the Cul-de-sac Kevin (Jake Weary) on a daily basis. Just as Fred finally plucks up the courage to ask Judy out, he discovers that she's moved house, so he embarks on a journey to find her.

The Bad
Fred's comedy gimmick is that he's a hyper-active, shrill-voiced weirdo who gets over-excited about tiny things and throws a shrieking tantrum at the drop of a hat. As a result, Cruikshank spends the entire film screaming in your face and your “enjoyment” of Fred: The Movie will largely come down to how much of that you can take (his “Fred” YouTube channel should provide a reliable guide to your tolerance levels).

To be fair, Lott acquits herself nicely (though she isn't given all that much to do) and there's decent support from Weary, wrestling star John Cena (as Fred's fantasy dad, who pops up to offer advice and head-locks) and Jenette McCurdy as Bertha, the other girl next door. Even Cruikshank proves he's not just a one-trick pony, cropping up occasionally as his laid-back alter-ego Derf.

The Worse
The slightly surreal, teen romance plot might have worked if the lead character wasn't so deeply, deeply irritating. Listening to his constant, screeching voice is basically the cinematic equivalent of being water-boarded and enduring 83 minutes of it is likely to give you a severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

On top of that, Cruikshank has no comic timing and no chemistry with any of his co-stars. Also, Fred's technique of winning the girl of his dreams by vomiting on her should probably not be tried at home.

Worth seeing?
If you're one of Fred's 2m+ YouTube subscribers and you get the joke, then you can probably add another star. For anyone else, Fred: The Movie should be avoided like your life depended on it.