Rik Mayall turned down the offer from Ron Howard to star in the original Willow to take on this role and to be honest it was a great move,he gives the performance of his career as the not so imaginary friend of Phobe Cates who has caused nothing but mayhem and hilarious outcomes throughout her childhood yet now as an adult she finds she needs Fred back in her life more than ever,.The film although a comedy has real heart with incredible chemistry between Mayall and Cates,its about moving on from your past and becoming your own person and ultimately about sometimes when times are at there lowest all you sometimes need is a friend even if that person is imaginary. The film performed so well on its release Universal wanted a sequel however Mayall felt he had done what he wanted with the role and didnt want to return so the producers turned to Jim Carrey who had agreed to star in the follow up however as with Hollywood the sequel never eventuated. Rik Mayall shows here why he was one of the most gifted comedians ever and sadly missed.