Like most people who know of his work, my introduction to director
Peter Jackson came via the 1994 masterpiece Heavenly Creatures, a film
based on the true story of the intense, destructive relationship
between two New Zealand school girls.
Based on the sheer brilliance of that film (nominated for best
screenplay at the Academy Awards for 1994), I seeked out his earlier
horror flick Dead Alive, billed among other things as having "the most
bizarre ending ever filmed." That's not even close to being true (it's
more like the longest, most tedious ending ever filmed!), however it
was still mildly amusing.
Both Heavenly Creatures and Dead Alive featured interesting
special effects in the field of puppetry. My most recent Peter Jackson
catch-up viewing, Meet the Feebles, focuses entirely on puppetry,
featuring no humans whatsoever.
The Feebles, in looks, are roughly equivalent to the more grungy
members of the Muppets. And just as the Muppets had "The Muppet
Show," the Feebles have their own television program, "The Fabulous
Feebles Variety Hour."
I would presume that to the viewing public, the Feebles have a
semi-wholesome, though off-the-wall image, just as do the Muppets. The
gimic in this dark, irreverant, satirical film is to focus on their
off-stage antics: the scandalous, vicious, unhappy, sex-crazed, drug
abusing lives that the Feebles really live, not the singing, dancing
lives the public sees on TV. Think of Miss Piggy throwing one of her
fits, then intensify her rage and the snideness of her remarks, and
you will have an idea of what the Feebles are like. Well, some of the
Feebles anyways. To be fair, there are some innocent, wimpish Feebles,
too.
The characters include Harry "the Bad Bunny" and his desperate
attempts to keep an unscrupulous investigative fly from reporting that
he's caught "THE BIG ONE"; the drug addict Froggy and his struggle to
afford his next fix; and Heidi the flabby, voluptuous Hippo and her
inabilitity to control herself after finding out she is being
two-timed on by her lover and seedy manager, Bletch the Walrus.
The lives of these Feebles and others are followed during the time
leading up to their next performance, a performance that with each
moment looks even more destined for disaster.
Meet the Feebles is not a great film, but it does provide enough
laughs, interesting visuals, spirited outrageouness, and creative
premise to be recommendable.