''Meet the Feebles'' (also known as ''Frogs of War'' in New Zealand as the film's English fake working title) is a 1989 New Zealand puppet
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
film directed by
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
, and written by Jackson,
Fran Walsh,
Stephen Sinclair
Stephen Sinclair is a New Zealand playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the co-author of stage comedy '' Ladies Night''. In 2001, the French version won the Molière Award for stage comedy of the year. Other plays include ''The Bellbird'' a ...
and
Danny Mulheron
Danny Mulheron is a New Zealand actor, writer, and director who has worked in theatre, television and film.
Mulheron graduated from Toi Whakaari, Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1983 with a Diploma in Acting.
In 2012, he directed ''Fr ...
(who also performed the body of lead character Heidi the Hippo). It features
Jim Henson-esque puppets in a perverse comic satire.
Like Henson's
Muppets, the Feebles are animal-figured puppets (plus some suited performers) who are members of a stage troupe. However, whereas the Muppets characterize positivity, naïve folly and innocence, the Feebles largely present negativity, vice and other
misanthropic
Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ ...
characteristics. It is the first Jackson film that was co-written by his future partner
Fran Walsh, who has gone on to act as co-writer for all his subsequent films.
Plot
The
eponymous Feeble Variety Hour theatre troupe is rehearsing the title song with hopes of finding success through being picked up for a
syndicated television show. Heidi (a
hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
), the star, is insulted by
pornographic director Trevor (a
rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
) and complains to her boss and lover, Bletch (a
walrus), who is actually in an
adulterous relationship with Samantha (a
Siamese cat). Meanwhile, Robert (a
hedgehog), the newest member of the team, arrives at the theatre, where he is accosted by
reporter
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
F. W. Fly (a
fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
), who tries to corrupt Robert into informing on the cast, meets Arthur (a
worm
Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always).
Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...
), the show's manager, and
immediately falls in love with another newcomer, Lucille (a
poodle). Trevor is approached by sniveling
drug-addicted
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
knife thrower Wynyard (a
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
) looking for his fix, but the drugs have not yet been delivered. Guppy (a
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
) auditions for The Feebles backstage, only to get eaten by Bletch. After Heidi finishes
jogging, Samantha confronts her, insults her, and reveals her relationship with Bletch, resulting in a fight between the two, in which Heidi throws her in a
cardboard box
Cardboard boxes are industrially prefabricated boxes, primarily used for packaging goods and materials. Specialists in industry seldom use the term cardboard because it does not denote a specific material. The term ''cardboard'' may refer to a va ...
. With the help of Arthur, Robert is able to
serenade
In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...
Lucille, confessing his love to her, and the two become engaged.
After his
tribble-like creatures accidentally get crushed by a barrel, animal tamer, Sid (an
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
), and Arthur have a beer, when he receives a visit from his ex-girlfriend,
showgirl Sandy (a
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
) with his alleged son Seymour the Elechicken (an improbable-looking elephant/chicken hybrid). Sandy informs him she will be preparing a
paternity case against him. Bletch and Barry (a
bulldog) consummate a
drug deal
The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...
with Cedric (a
warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...
), during which Bletch and Cedric deliberately sabotage eachother during a game of
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
, which ends with Bletch winning by throwing up the chewed remains of Guppy.
Back at the theater, Dennis (an
aardvark) is shown peeping on the second most important star of the show, Harry (a
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
) in a
threesome
In human sexuality, a threesome is commonly understood as "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". Though ''threesome'' most commonly refers to sexua ...
with two female rabbits. Trevor is shooting a porn film in the basement with the Masked Masochist (a
weta) and Madam Bovine (a
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
). They are interrupted by Robert, who mistakes the scene for torture and tries to save Bovine, who in turn accidentally crushes the Masked Masochist, suffocating him. Trevor later feeds him to a fish-like monster.
The director of the show, Sebastian (a
red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
), lambasts Robert for failing his part as an extra on the stage. As punishment, he assigns Robert the task of replacing Wynyard's assistant, who has just been killed by Wynyard's knife throwing while going through
drug withdrawal
Drug withdrawal, drug withdrawal syndrome, or substance withdrawal syndrome, is the group of symptoms that occur upon the abrupt discontinuation or decrease in the intake of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs.
In order for the symptoms of with ...
. At the toilet, Harry is suffering from a mystery illness and F. W. Fly harasses him. Wynyard tells Robert
his story of Vietnam, and convinces Robert to give him $50 to buy drugs from Trevor. After seeing Trevor's latest
porno film starring Dennis (who Trevor chose for a substitute) and Madame Bovine, Bletch decides they need a new porn star, and Trevor chooses Lucille. Harry passes out down some stairs, much to the surprise of fellow cast member Dorothy (a
sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
), who yells for help. Dr. Quack (a
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
) gives Harry only twelve hours to live, both unaware of F.W. Fly spying on them from the ceiling above.
Elsewhere, Abi, the show's contortionist, accidentally manages to roll himself into a ball during rehearsal. Hating how the show is turning out, Sebastian demands for his song to be included, only to be turned down and thrown out by Bletch.
F. W. Fly continually harasses Harry, ultimately reporting his illness to the
tabloids. Trevor drugs Lucille and tries to
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
her as an audition, but is caught by Robert. When he walks in on the scene, Robert thinks that Lucille was drinking and throwing herself at Trevor, and disowns her. After an awful rehearsal, Sebastian lambasts Heidi, causing her to rush to Bletch for emotional affirmation, but walks in on Samantha performing
oral sex on him. That night, after testing the drugs provided by Cedric on Dennis, the drugs turn out to be
borax
Borax is a salt (ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a basic solution. It is commonly available in powder or granular form, ...
, infuriating Bletch. Cedric's agent Louie (a
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
) is literally liquefied after being force-fed some of the borax by Bletch's henchmen.
Heidi locks herself in her room, throws a tantrum, and refuses to perform, but relents after Bletch has make-up sex with her. Soon after, Bletch and his cronies venture to the docklands to fight Cedric and his
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
-crewmen. Bletch's side prevails after killing Cedric and the crabs, as well as a giant
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
, which bites off Barry's head, and Cedric's boss, Mr. Big (a
sperm whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...
), by driving through him and coming out the other end. Lucille tries to convince Robert of her love for him, but he tells her he never wants to see her again. After seeing the article of Harry's illness in the paper, Trevor lures F. W. Fly into the bathroom, where Bletch tears his wings off and flushes him down the toilet. Shortly afterwards, Heidi attempts to seduce Bletch in his office, but Bletch confesses to Heidi that he actually hates her and wants to give the main role to Samantha. This causes Heidi to mentally break down, and envisions the rest of the Feebles laughing at her.
Later, things begin to go awry during the performance. An ailing Harry winds up
vomiting
Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the Human nose, nose.
Vomiting can be the result of ailments like Food-poisoning, foo ...
all over the stage during his performance, Sid is accosted by Sandy in the midst of his act, which causes it to fall apart, Wynyard accidentally kills himself during his act when he loses his grip on one of his knives and it comes down on his head, and Sebastian decides to take matters into his own hands. After a failed attempt at hanging herself, Heidi then tries to commit suicide with an
M60 machine gun
The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
, but at that second, Samantha walks into the room and taunts Heidi upon seeing her about to end her life. Heidi snaps, turns the gun on Samantha, and shoots her dead. Heidi then goes on a shooting spree, killing many of the cast, including Harry (who was told by Dr. Quack that he was going to recover as he only has "bunny pox"), Abi (who finally managed to free his head only to be crushed by his bedded nails), Dorothy (who attempted to talk to Heidi), and others.
Sebastian, in a poor and desperate attempt to save the show, puts on a musical number about the act of "Sodomy", disgusting the silent and unamused live audience, much to the horror of Bletch who orders Trevor to kill him. At the end of the show, Heidi continues her shooting spree, and Sid braves the crazed Heidi's automatic fire to save his son, after Sandy gets her head shot off. Robert rescues Lucille from being shot and professes that he still loves her, and Lucille tells him the truth about Trevor's attempted
raping
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or a ...
of her. Sebastian hides in Harry’s giant carrot-rocket, and is injured when Heidi causes it to go off and crash into a wall. Bletch attempts to talk Heidi into surrendering, but Heidi opens fire on him and he drops from the balcony. Lying injured on the stage, Bletch convinces Heidi to stop her rampage by proclaiming he still loves her, only for Trevor to shoot her in the shoulder from behind with a shotgun.
Bletch, having tricked Heidi into letting her guard down, orders Trevor to kill her, only for Robert to intervene by swinging on a rope from the rafters and colliding with Trevor, incapacitating Trevor briefly enough for Heidi to reclaim the machine gun and shoot him dead. Bletch lunges at Heidi in a last ditch effort, but is killed too. From backstage, Arthur tells Heidi that he regrettably had to tip off the police about Heidi's shooting rampage. Heidi accepts this and makes one last request before her impending incarceration - to play her musical number, "Garden of Love", to which Arthur complies.
The
epilogue
An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the w ...
reveals the fates of only seven survivors: Sid gets extensive repair on his kneecaps after being accidentally shot by Heidi in her rampage and works in an orchard as a struggling
horticulturist
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
with his son Seymour. Arthur received an
OBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
for his lifelong service at the theater and retires to the country. Sebastian recovers from his injuries and became a successful writer who achieved worldwide fame for his best seller, ''The Feeble Variety Massacre: One Man's Act of Heroism!'', and is currently negotiating
film rights. Robert (now an award-winning
fashion photographer for a women's magazine) and Lucille are married with two children. Finally, Heidi, whose killing spree resulted in her imprisonment in a women's penitentiary for ten years, has been rehabilitated into the community and now works under a new identity on the check-out counter of a large supermarket.
Cast
*
Mark Hadlow
Mark Selwyn Hadlow (born 1957) is an Australian-New Zealand actor and comedian. Hadlow is perhaps best known internationally for playing the roles of Harry in ''King Kong'' and Dori, a Dwarf, in ''The Hobbit'' series.
Early life
Hadlow was bo ...
as:
** Robert the Hedgehog
** Heidi the Hippo (voice)
** Barry the Bulldog
** Chorus Girl #3
*
Peter Vere-Jones
Peter Vere-Jones (21 October 1939 – 26 January 2021) was an English-born-New Zealand actor. He was known for his collaborations with director Peter Jackson, appearing in four of his films. He was also known for starring in the New Zealand tel ...
as:
** Bletch the Walrus
** Arthur the Worm
** The Baker
** Newspaper Mouse (Paperboy)
** The Announcer
* Donna Akersten as:
** Lucille the Pomeranian
** Samantha the Cat
** Dorothy the Sheep
** Female Rabbit #1
** Chorus Girl #2
** Fitness Tape Voice
*
Stuart Devenie
Stuart Forbes Devenie is a New Zealand actor and theatre director, whose career spans three decades on stage and screen. He has performed in theatre productions nationally and internationally. In the 1980s, he was the artistic director of Cent ...
as:
** Sebastian the Fox
** Dr. Quack the Duck (doing a
Paul Lynde impression)
** Daisy the Cow (Madame Bovine)
** Sandy the Chicken
** Cedric the Warthog
** Seymour the Elechicken (mixed elephant and chicken)
** Female Rabbit #2
** Chorus Girl #1
*
Brian Sergent
Brian Sergent (born 29 December 1959) is an actor born and based in Wellington, New Zealand.
Background
Sergent’s acting career began at age 15 playing Lionel in the soap opera, '' Close to Home''.
In television Sergeant is known for playin ...
as:
** Wynyard the Frog (doing a
Jim Ignatowski impression)
** Trevor the Rat (doing a
Peter Lorre impression)
** F. W. Fly
** Jim the Frog
** Chuck the Frog
** The Spider
** Vietnamese Gophers
* Ross Jolly as:
** Harry the Rabbit (doing a
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...
impression)
** Dennis the Aardvark
** Abi the Contortionist
** Mr. Big the Whale
** Pekingese
** Vietnamese Gophers
*
Mark Wright as:
** Sid the Elephant
** The Masked Masochist
** Louie the Dog
** Guppy the Fish
** Poodle
** Snake bartender
** Crab
** Chorus Girl #4
*
Fane Flaws
Fane Michael Flaws (16 May 1951 – 17 June 2021) was a New Zealand musician, songwriter, and artist.
Career
Flaws was a member of bands including Blerta, Spats, and The Crocodiles. Until joining Blerta he was known by his second name Michael: ...
as Musician Frog
*
Danny Mulheron
Danny Mulheron is a New Zealand actor, writer, and director who has worked in theatre, television and film.
Mulheron graduated from Toi Whakaari, Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1983 with a Diploma in Acting.
In 2012, he directed ''Fr ...
as Heidi the Hippo (body)
Puppeteers
* Jonathon Acorn - supervising puppeteer
* Ramon Aguilar - supervising puppeteer
* Eleanor Aitken
* Terri Anderton
* Sean Ashton-Peach
* Carl Buckley
* Sarah Glensor
* Danny Mulheron
* George Port
* Ian Williamson
* Justine Wright
Production
The film was originally conceived as part of a television series, and only belatedly became a feature after Japanese investors proposed expanding it; as such, the script was hastily re-written. The dialogue was recorded before shooting began. Made on an extremely low budget considering the time-consuming process of working with puppets, the film went over budget and schedule. Some scenes, including the
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
flashback, were funded by members of the film crew, and filmed secretly under the title ''Frogs of War''. The Vietnam flashback includes a game of
Russian roulette as a parody of ''
The Deer Hunter
''The Deer Hunter'' is a 1978 war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Slavic-American steelworkers whose lives were upended after fighting in the Vietnam War. The three soldiers are played by Robert De Niro, Chr ...
''. An initial application for Film Commission money was rejected by executive director Jim Booth, who a short time later became Jackson's producer. The Commission eventually granted the production two-thirds of its $750,000 budget, though relationships between the funders and the production soured and the Film Commission removed its credit from the film.
It is often mistakenly stated that there are no human characters in the film; the character Abi is a human. However, there are no ''real-life'' human characters in the film. Director Jackson has a cameo as an audience member dressed as an alien from ''Bad Taste''. Every vehicle seen in the film is a variation on the
Morris Minor, including a specially constructed
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...
. Morris Minors also appear in Jackson's ''
Bad Taste
''Bad Taste'' is a 1987 New Zealand Science fiction film, science-fiction comedy horror film directed, produced and filmed by Peter Jackson, who also stars in and co-wrote the screenplay, along with Tony Hiles and Ken Hammon. Independent film ...
'' and ''
Braindead
''BrainDead'' is an American political satire science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Robert and Michelle King. The series stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Laurel Healy, a documentary film-maker who takes a job working for he ...
''. By presumed coincidence, one of the characters, Harry the Hare, shares a name with the title character of James B. Hemesath's short story "Harry the Hare" (himself a
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
pastiche), written for
Harlan Ellison's anthology ''
Again, Dangerous Visions
''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972) is a science fiction short story anthology, edited by American author Harlan Ellison. It is the follow-up to '' Dangerous Visions'' (1967), also edited by Ellison. Cover art and interior illustrations are by E ...
'' in 1972.
Soundtrack
The film's music was composed by
Peter Dasent
Peter Dasent is a New Zealand born composer, pianist and songwriter who has lived and worked in Sydney, Australia since 1981. He played keyboards in the bands Spats, and The Crocodiles. He leads the chamber-jazz group the Umbrellas, is writing ...
. The soundtrack was released in 1991 by Q.D.K. Media.
;Track listing
Release
The film was marketed in some countries with the tagline: "From the director of ''
Bad Taste
''Bad Taste'' is a 1987 New Zealand Science fiction film, science-fiction comedy horror film directed, produced and filmed by Peter Jackson, who also stars in and co-wrote the screenplay, along with Tony Hiles and Ken Hammon. Independent film ...
'', comes a movie with no taste at all!"
''Meet the Feebles'' was given its
public premiere at a fantasy film festival in Hamburg, in April 1990.
From then on, the film was released theatrically in Japan (7 December 1990); Portugal (February 1991); Australia (March 1991); Sweden (April 1991); Germany (May 1991); France (July 1991); United Kingdom (April 1992); and the United States (February 1995 in New York and September 1995 nationwide).
The film was banned in Ireland.
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 71% based on reviews from 24 critics, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's consensus reads "Dark and vulgar, ''Meet the Feebles'' is a backstage comedy featuring puppets that offers proof of Peter Jackson's taste for sheer outrageousness, even if it often lapses into pure
juvenilia
Juvenilia are literary, musical or artistic works produced by authors during their youth. Written juvenilia, if published at all, usually appears as a retrospective publication, some time after the author has become well known for later works.
...
."
During a
limited theatrical release in North America in 2002, critic
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli (born September 25, 1967) is an American film critic and former engineer. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ''ReelViews.'' Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of r ...
touched on aspects of the film which likely helped ensure it limited release in cinemas. "The stories of these ... characters are told in a disgustingly graphic, obscenely offbeat, and caustically funny manner. ''Meet the Feebles'' is for those with a strong stomach and a seriously warped sense of humor. The film is so off the beaten track that it makes
Monty Python
Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...
seem mainstream."
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
of the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' gave it 2 out of 5 and wrote that it was "Destined to stand as an unfortunate footnote to Mr. Jackson's career."
Legacy
Despite being a
commercial failure on release (grossing only 80,000),
the film went on to win critical praise and a cult following plus won over new viewers following Jackson's success with
''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. During his acceptance speech at the
2004 Academy Awards, Jackson mentioned ''Meet the Feebles'' (along with ''
Bad Taste
''Bad Taste'' is a 1987 New Zealand Science fiction film, science-fiction comedy horror film directed, produced and filmed by Peter Jackson, who also stars in and co-wrote the screenplay, along with Tony Hiles and Ken Hammon. Independent film ...
''), joking that it had been "wisely overlooked by the Academy."
"The Lord of the Rings" winning the Best Picture Oscar®-Oscars on YouTube
/ref>
See also
* New Zealand humour
* Adult puppeteering
* ''Avenue Q
''Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of PBS' ...
'', an adult-themed musical play featuring human and puppet actors.
* ''The Happytime Murders
''The Happytime Murders'' is a 2018 American adult puppet crime comedy film directed by Brian Henson and written by Todd Berger from a story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Joel McHale, Maya R ...
''
* ''The Deer Hunter
''The Deer Hunter'' is a 1978 war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Slavic-American steelworkers whose lives were upended after fighting in the Vietnam War. The three soldiers are played by Robert De Niro, Chr ...
''
* ''The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...
''
* Midnight movie
The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides. As a cinematic ...
References
External links
*
Trailer on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meet the Feebles
1989 films
1989 comedy films
1980s black comedy films
1980s comedy horror films
1980s crime comedy films
1980s musical comedy films
1980s satirical films
1980s English-language films
New Zealand black comedy films
New Zealand comedy horror films
New Zealand crime comedy films
New Zealand musical comedy films
New Zealand satirical films
Exploitation films
New Zealand splatter films
Puppet films
Muppet parodies
Films about dogs
Films about elephants
Films about flies
Films about foxes
Films about frogs
Films about hedgehogs
Fictional hippopotamuses
Films about mice and rats
Films about pinnipeds
Films about rabbits and hares
Fictional worms
Anthropomorphic animals
Films about death
Films set in a theatre
Films set in New Zealand
Films shot in New Zealand
Films set in 1989
Films directed by Peter Jackson
Films with screenplays by Peter Jackson
Films with screenplays by Fran Walsh
Films with screenplays by Stephen Sinclair
WingNut Films films
1980s New Zealand films