Meet the Feebles

Year: 1989 (New Zealand)
Genre: Spoof/Showbiz Comedy
Directed: Peter Jackson
Stars: Danny Mulheron, Mark Hadlow, Donna Akersten, Stuart Devenie, Ross Jolly, Brian Sergent, Peter Vere-Jones, Mark Wright
Production: WingNut Films

King Kong (2005), Heavenly Creatures (1994), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003); what do they all have in common? Well other than the fact that they are all high quality films, they all share a director with the little seen; little loved 1989 New Zealand film Meet the Feebles (1989). That’s right; before Peter Jackson won critical acclaim for his magnificent spectacles and J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations he was the director of a twisted, tawdry parody of The Muppets (1976-1981), ranking up there with The Toxic Avenger (1984) in its level of vulgarity.

The movie aptly juggles a multitude of stories surrounding the struggling variety show cast and crew. The main character of Meet the Feebles is an aging star, Heidi the Hippo (Danny Mulheron) who is struggling to keep her relationship with adulterous producer Bletch the Walrus (Peter Vere-Jones). That, in addition to a sugary sweet love story between a hedgehog and a poodle is about the tamest thing about Meet the Feebles. There are subplots involving drugs, STDs, Vietnam flashbacks, gun violence and plenty of puppet sex.

The sheer ridiculousness of this nightmarish puppet show makes it too ghastly to look away. It appalls intrigues and impresses in equal measure. Everything from the camerawork to the puppeteering to the script are crude yet wildly effective. The size of each anamorphic puppet varies from elaborate sock puppet to a multi-crewed giant all requiring a certain level of skill which while not on par with Jim Henson, is fun to watch.

This film, coupled with Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive (1992) makes me wonder where the director would be if he had stayed on the path of grotesque horror and gallows humor. Give the man a humungous budget, award winning actors and the top technical talents of Hollywood, and he’ll give you a triptych of timeless classics. Give him just $750,000 a handheld camera and some felt and he’ll give you a memorable marionette experience that won’t be equaled until Team America: World Police (2004). One thing’s for certain if he had stayed on the path we wouldn’t have had to endure The Frighteners (1996).

The script written by Jackson and three other New Zealanders is fresh and funny giving the audience everything from silly muppet-like puns to ribald musical numbers including “Sodomy” sung by Sebastian the Fox (Stuart Devenie). Much of the gross out humor is provided by a character simply known as The Fly (Brian Sergent) who buzzes around for tabloid gossip and develops his photos in a toilet.

Meet the Feebles: quite the scoop

The rest of the film is filled to the brim with knife throwing, machine gun toting; cocaine sniffing mayhem intermingled with rabbit-HIV and sadomasochism for good measure. I’d recommend this film to anyone with a warped sense of humor over a certain age. Those who were endeared by Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo the…whatever, should probably avoid Meet the Feebles. Not because of its cynical treatment of hand puppets might ruin fond memories but because those same fond memories might be replaced by rude hilarity that ensues in Peter Jackson’s 8^th best film.

Final Grade: B-