Meet The Feebles

MEET THE FEEBLES : 1989


When it comes to Peter Jackson's films you have separate fans. You have those geek fans who loved "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the horror/gore fanatics who loved "Dead Alive," and then you have that real select few who loved MEET THE FEEBLES. I am one of those fans. Peter Jackson has had an interesting film career with his earlier morbid stuff to mainstream success. This particular film is very disturbing and its executed wonderfully by puppets. Yes, the entire cast is puppets.

Rape, Snuff films, STDS, Murder, Drugs, Vietnam, Infidelity, Back Stabbing....All from puppets. It's a story about a theatre troupe who are going to be on TV, but like every theatre troupe trouble is brewing. If it's not between Heidi the bipolar hippos love affair with Bletch the walrus, or Harry the rabbit catching a STD and almost dying, or Trevor the rat shooting a snuff film with a cow in an S & M outfit, or a drug run gone horribly wrong, or a new romance that is ruined by a misfortunate rape or Wynyard's the turtle drug abuse and Vietnam flashbacks getting in the way of his knife throwing or a paternity suit between an elephant and a chicken this theatre troupe has alot on their hands.

This cast of puppets are the opposite of the cast of Sesame Street. Sesame Street shows the good and wholesomeness in everybody and teaches lessons on how to be a better person. The Feebles on the other-hand show the true ugliness of people and teach you how not to be. Almost every puppet in this movie is sleazy, when you think one is good they turn around and show you just how bad they are. Take Harry the rabbit, when you first see him you think "hey he looks wholesome" but then you seem him engaging in a three-way and almost dying of Myxomatosis. The only one you can feel bad for is Heidi and her struggle with being overweight and a star and in love.

The ending is beautiful. Granted its morbid and Hamlet like but nonetheless its perfect. I wont give too much away but it was the best way to end a mind-fuck of a movie. Its clear to see that MEET THE FEEBLES is one of my favorite movies. If you enjoy extremely fucked up black comedies then this is the movie for you, I highly recommend this movie.