Meet the Feebles
Encyclopedia
Meet the Feebles is a 1989 black comedy film
directed
by Peter Jackson
. It features Jim Henson
-esque puppets in a perverse comic satire. Like Henson's Muppets, the Feebles are animal-figured puppets (though some were people in suits) assembled together as members of a theatre troupe. However, whereas Henson's Muppets characterise the positivity, naïve folly, and innocence in humanity, the Feebles present negativity, vice, and other misanthropic characteristics.
The movie has become a cult classic
, and has enjoyed great popularity since Jackson's success with the Lord of the Rings
films. During his acceptance speech at the 2004 Academy Awards
, Jackson mentioned the film, noting that it had been "wisely overlooked by the Academy."
At the toilet, the second most important star of the show, Harry, is feeling ill and asks himself what is happening to his body when he hears a voice from the toilet asking him if he does not feel well: It is the paparazzi
Fly-in-the-sky , who is bent on breaking Harry's career while becoming rich in the process. Meanwhile, Wynyard (the drug addicted knife thrower) tells Robert his story of Vietnam, and convinces Robert to give him $50 for buying drugs from Trevor. After seeing Trevor's latest porno film, Bletch decides they need a new pornstar, and Robert choose Lucille; he drugs her and tries to rape her as an audition but gets accidentally caught by Robert. When he walks in on the scene Robert thinks that Lucille was drinking and throwing herself at Trevor and tells her he never wants to see her again.
The last part of the film takes place during the prime-time show. After a good beginning (they sign with the TV chain), Bletch confess to Heidi that he actually hates her and wants to give the main role to Samantha. After trying unsuccessfully to attempt suicide, Heidi go on a shooting spree and kills all the characters of the movie except Sydney, Sebastian, Arthur, Seymour, Robert and Lucile.
There is a brief epilogue sequence in which the fates of the six only known survivors are shown: Sydney underwent surgery on his kneecap injuries and lives as a horticulturist
with his son Seymour, Arthur received an OBE
for lifelong service to the theatre and retired to the country, Sebastian wrote a book about the film's events and is currently negotiating the film rights. Robert and Lucile got married and started a family, and Robert became a professional photographer for a women's magazine. Heidi spent a decade in a female prison, was rehabilitated into the community and now works under a new identity at a large supermarket.
Later outside, Samantha insults Heidi, claiming Bletch really wants Samantha. Distraught, Heidi drowns her sorrows in an entire chocolate cake, as she reminisces about her past romance with Bletch in a black-and-white flashback to her days as a lounge singer. The flatulence from the cake causes Heidi to lay waste to the set during the rehearsal of a feature number. Sebastian lambastes her for overeating and thus destroying the set. Heidi again rushes to Bletch for emotional affirmation, but he is unable to spare her the sight of Samantha performing oral sex on him. Heidi locks herself in her room and refuses to perform, but relents after Bletch has make-up sex with her.
Heidi's performance secures the Feebles a syndicated series. Shortly afterwards, Heidi
attempts to seduce Bletch in his office, but Bletch completely disowns her since Samantha can now be the star of the show. Unfortunately, Bletch is unaware of Heidi's extremely fragile mental state.
Arthur rescues Robert and shows him around, where Robert sees Lucile for the first time. Although he is romantically terrified of her at first, he later summons up enough courage to ask her out and they fall in love. Later in the film, Trevor drugs Lucile (to manipulate her into performing in his pornography films). Robert walks in on the drugging, but misinterprets it as Lucile's decision, and disowns her for being a drunk. They make up later after Robert saves her from Heidi's crazed gun rampage, and eventually get married.
After vomiting all over the stage in the live performance, he finally learns that he only has 'bunny pox'. Unfortunately, while rejoicing in the news that "The Big One" will not cause his death, Harry's head is blown apart by Heidi's gunshot rampage.
Bletch and his cronies venture to the docklands to fight Cedric and his crab-crewmen. Bletch's side prevails after killing Cedric and the crabs, maneuvering past a huge spider, and driving through the insides of Cedric's boss Mr. Big. However, Barry's head is eaten by the spider.
When the drugs finally arrive at the theatre, Wynyard is finally able to get his fix, which puts him into a stupor.
As punishment, he assigns Robert the task of being Wynyard's assistant, who was just killed by Wynyard's drug-withdrawal knife throwing. He later reluctantly approaches Wynyard, who is still in the throes of withdrawal. Wynyard guilt-trips Robert into giving him money after telling him a horror story about his time in Vietnam (shown as a flashback parody of the movie The Deer Hunter
). He eventually gets his fix from Trevor and injects himself into a deep slumber.
The acts gradually disintegrate - Heidi nearly destroys the set by botching a swing, the Indian mystic incapacitates himself by contorting his head into his rectum, and Sid's tribble-like pets are crushed by a barrel. Seeing his show in shambles, Sebastian tries to convince Bletch to feature his personal performance, the sexually explicit number 'Sodomy'. This is summarily rejected by Bletch, who physically throws Sebastian out of his office. Sebastian decides to use the number anyway and performs it in front of the live audience, to Bletch's horror.
was filmed separately (with a different budget) as The Frogs of War. This scene includes a game of Russian roulette
as a parody of The Deer Hunter
.
An initial application for Film Commission money was rejected, ironically by Executive Director Jim Booth, who a short time later became Jackson's producer. The Commission did eventually grant 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.
Every vehicle seen in the movie is a variation on the Morris Minor
, including a specially constructed limousine
. Morris Minors also appear in Jackson's other movies Bad Taste and Braindead. According to the Internet Movie Database
, the production team could not get hold of blank rounds for the M60 machine gun used in the movie, and therefore the gun was firing live ammunition.
The film was marketed with the tagline: "From the creators of Bad Taste
, comes a film with no taste at all!"
in September 1990.
From then on, the film was released among many countries:
in 2002, the critic James Berardinelli
wrote, "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
seem mainstream." Rachel Sanders called it alternatively repulsive and magnificent. Rotten Tomatoes
gives it a Fresh rating of 75%, based on 20 reviews (as of November 2010).
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
. It features Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
-esque puppets in a perverse comic satire. Like Henson's Muppets, the Feebles are animal-figured puppets (though some were people in suits) assembled together as members of a theatre troupe. However, whereas Henson's Muppets characterise the positivity, naïve folly, and innocence in humanity, the Feebles present negativity, vice, and other misanthropic characteristics.
The movie has become a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
, and has enjoyed great popularity since Jackson's success with the Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
films. During his acceptance speech at the 2004 Academy Awards
76th Academy Awards
The 76th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films of 2003 and was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST, February 29, 2004 . The show was produced by Joe Roth and was hosted for the eighth time by comedian Billy Crystal.The...
, Jackson mentioned the film, noting that it had been "wisely overlooked by the Academy."
Plot
The eponymous theatre troupe is rehearsing the Meet the Feebles song with hopes to become good enough to picked up for a syndicated network show and become rich and famous. Heidi, the star of the show, is insulted by Trevor (a pornograph director) and comes to complain to the man she loves, Bletch, who is actually in an adulterous relationship with Samantha. Bletch only wants to use Heidi to become successful. Meanwhile, Robert, the new member of the team, arrives at the theatre, is civilly received by the stage manager Arthur and quickly falls in love with Lucille, another newcomer. Samantha confronts Heidi, insults her and reveals her relationship with Bletch. During this time, Bletch and his bodyguard Barry are playing golf with Cedric while they arrange a drug-deal and talk about the late delivery, later in the same day. Robert confess his love to Lucille, and the two become engaged. Sidney, Arthur's friend and member of the team, receives the visit of his former wife Sandy with his alleged son Seymour (Seymour comically resembles Sidney very much). Sandy informs him she will be preparing a paternity case against him.At the toilet, the second most important star of the show, Harry, is feeling ill and asks himself what is happening to his body when he hears a voice from the toilet asking him if he does not feel well: It is the paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
Fly-in-the-sky , who is bent on breaking Harry's career while becoming rich in the process. Meanwhile, Wynyard (the drug addicted knife thrower) tells Robert his story of Vietnam, and convinces Robert to give him $50 for buying drugs from Trevor. After seeing Trevor's latest porno film, Bletch decides they need a new pornstar, and Robert choose Lucille; he drugs her and tries to rape her as an audition but gets accidentally caught by Robert. When he walks in on the scene Robert thinks that Lucille was drinking and throwing herself at Trevor and tells her he never wants to see her again.
The last part of the film takes place during the prime-time show. After a good beginning (they sign with the TV chain), Bletch confess to Heidi that he actually hates her and wants to give the main role to Samantha. After trying unsuccessfully to attempt suicide, Heidi go on a shooting spree and kills all the characters of the movie except Sydney, Sebastian, Arthur, Seymour, Robert and Lucile.
There is a brief epilogue sequence in which the fates of the six only known survivors are shown: Sydney underwent surgery on his kneecap injuries and lives as a horticulturist
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
with his son Seymour, Arthur received an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for lifelong service to the theatre and retired to the country, Sebastian wrote a book about the film's events and is currently negotiating the film rights. Robert and Lucile got married and started a family, and Robert became a professional photographer for a women's magazine. Heidi spent a decade in a female prison, was rehabilitated into the community and now works under a new identity at a large supermarket.
Love Triangle
A distraught Heidi runs to Bletch after being insulted by Trevor. Bletch is having sex with Samantha, but hides the tryst. Although Bletch is physically disgusted with Heidi, he insincerely comforts her since he needs her talent on the show.Later outside, Samantha insults Heidi, claiming Bletch really wants Samantha. Distraught, Heidi drowns her sorrows in an entire chocolate cake, as she reminisces about her past romance with Bletch in a black-and-white flashback to her days as a lounge singer. The flatulence from the cake causes Heidi to lay waste to the set during the rehearsal of a feature number. Sebastian lambastes her for overeating and thus destroying the set. Heidi again rushes to Bletch for emotional affirmation, but he is unable to spare her the sight of Samantha performing oral sex on him. Heidi locks herself in her room and refuses to perform, but relents after Bletch has make-up sex with her.
Heidi's performance secures the Feebles a syndicated series. Shortly afterwards, Heidi
attempts to seduce Bletch in his office, but Bletch completely disowns her since Samantha can now be the star of the show. Unfortunately, Bletch is unaware of Heidi's extremely fragile mental state.
Robert and Lucile
Robert shows up for his first day as a cast member, and is accosted by the Fly, who tries to corrupt Robert into informing on the cast.Arthur rescues Robert and shows him around, where Robert sees Lucile for the first time. Although he is romantically terrified of her at first, he later summons up enough courage to ask her out and they fall in love. Later in the film, Trevor drugs Lucile (to manipulate her into performing in his pornography films). Robert walks in on the drugging, but misinterprets it as Lucile's decision, and disowns her for being a drunk. They make up later after Robert saves her from Heidi's crazed gun rampage, and eventually get married.
The Big One
Dennis is shown peeping on Harry in a threesome with two female rabbits. Harry feels physically ill after this episode and is accosted by the Fly, who assumes he has a sexually transmittable disease (STD) and wants to publish the scandal. Dr. Quack diagnoses Harry with "The Big One". The Fly publishes the scandal in a local tabloid - to the dismay of Bletch, who presumably wants to avoid negative press on the cast. Trevor lures the Fly into the bathroom, where Bletch tears his wings off and flushes the Fly down the toilet.After vomiting all over the stage in the live performance, he finally learns that he only has 'bunny pox'. Unfortunately, while rejoicing in the news that "The Big One" will not cause his death, Harry's head is blown apart by Heidi's gunshot rampage.
Sexcapades
Trevor is shooting a porn movie in the basement with the Masked Masochist and Madam Bovine. They are interrupted by Robert, who mistakes the scene for torture and tries to save the cow, who in turn accidentally crushes the Masked Masochist, suffocating him. Trevor later replaces him with Dennis (who has a snout resembling male genitalia) to perform 'nasal sex' on Madam Bovine.Drug Running
Trevor is approached by a sniveling Wynyard looking for his fix, but the drugs have not yet been delivered. Bletch is later shown on a golf course consummating a deal with Cedric. However, after testing on Dennis, the drugs provided by Cedric turn out to be household borax, infuriating Bletch. Louie, Cedric's agent, is literally liquidated after being force-fed some of the borax by Bletch's henchmen.Bletch and his cronies venture to the docklands to fight Cedric and his crab-crewmen. Bletch's side prevails after killing Cedric and the crabs, maneuvering past a huge spider, and driving through the insides of Cedric's boss Mr. Big. However, Barry's head is eaten by the spider.
When the drugs finally arrive at the theatre, Wynyard is finally able to get his fix, which puts him into a stupor.
The Show
While the cast performs an opera number, Sebastian lambastes Robert for not acting his part as an extra on the stage.As punishment, he assigns Robert the task of being Wynyard's assistant, who was just killed by Wynyard's drug-withdrawal knife throwing. He later reluctantly approaches Wynyard, who is still in the throes of withdrawal. Wynyard guilt-trips Robert into giving him money after telling him a horror story about his time in Vietnam (shown as a flashback parody of the movie The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steel worker friends and their infantry service in the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, and George Dzundza...
). He eventually gets his fix from Trevor and injects himself into a deep slumber.
The acts gradually disintegrate - Heidi nearly destroys the set by botching a swing, the Indian mystic incapacitates himself by contorting his head into his rectum, and Sid's tribble-like pets are crushed by a barrel. Seeing his show in shambles, Sebastian tries to convince Bletch to feature his personal performance, the sexually explicit number 'Sodomy'. This is summarily rejected by Bletch, who physically throws Sebastian out of his office. Sebastian decides to use the number anyway and performs it in front of the live audience, to Bletch's horror.
The Elephant and the Chicken
Sandy accuses Sid of being the father of their chicken-elephant baby, to his dismay and denial. During the live show, Sandy again accosts Sid on stage with the paternity suit. During a later tragic crossfire scene, Sid braves the crazed Heidi's automatic fire to save his baby. His heroism costs the elephant two bloody knee wounds, and he accidentally crushes Sandy's shot-off head after it squawks out one final invective.The Climax
While the live show is proceeding elsewhere, Heidi attempts suicide by hanging, but her weight breaks the chandelier from the ceiling and she falls through the floor. She makes her way to Bletch's machine gun and tries to kill herself, but at the last moment, Samantha shows up and taunts her. She responds by pumping Samantha full of lead, then rampages over the entire set. She finally finds Bletch and pumps many rounds into him as well - although she feels terribly guilty doing so. Bletch lies to Heidi about loving her and orders Trevor to kill her but Robert swings just in the nick of time to kick Trevor in order to save Heidi and Heidi literally blows Bletch's brain out. Realizing that she killed her love, she gives up her gun and sadly sings "Garden of Love", leading into the epilogue and the credits.Cast
- Robert (Wobert) (hedgehogHedgehogA hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
) (Mark HadlowMark HadlowMark Hadlow is a New Zealand actor and comedian.Hadlow is perhaps best known internationally for the role of Harry in King Kong...
) - A new member of the troupe who has no vices. He has a speech disorderSpeech disorderSpeech disorders or speech impediments are a type of communication disorders where 'normal' speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute.-Classification:...
, causing rhotacismRhotacismRhotacism refers to several phenomena related to the usage of the consonant r :*the excessive or idiosyncratic use of the r;...
. - Bletch (walrusWalrusThe walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
) (Peter Vere-Jones/Doug Wren) - He acts as producer for the Feebles troupe, runs porn and drug businesses on the side, and is mean as well. He is in a long-term relationship with Heidi while in an adulterous relationship with Samantha. - Heidi (hippoHippoA hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water:* Hippopotamus* Pygmy HippopotamusHippo may also refer to:-Given names:...
) (Mark HadlowMark HadlowMark Hadlow is a New Zealand actor and comedian.Hadlow is perhaps best known internationally for the role of Harry in King Kong...
) - The big star of the show. She is in a relationship with Bletch. She has bipolarBipolar disorderBipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
tendencies and when upset, she overeacts. - Lucille (poodlePoodleThe Poodle is a breed of dog. The poodle breed is found officially in toy, miniature, and standard sizes, with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is highly intelligent and skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding...
) - a chorus girl and love interest for Robert. - Trevor (ratRatRats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
) (Brian SergentBrian SergentBrian Sergent is an actor born and based in Wellington, New Zealand. He has appeared in some of New Zealand’s television series, commercial advertisements, and is well known in theatre and his voice is recognized for his voice-overs and radio presentations...
) - Bletch's enforcer and henchmen. Directs pornography and manages the drug business on the side. - Arthur (wormWormThe term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
) (Peter Vere-Jones) - The friendly stage manager. His appearance resembles a book worm. Is an avid cigar smoker. - Sebastian (foxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
) (Stuart DevenieStuart DevenieStuart Forbes Devenie is an actor and theatre director in New Zealand 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 Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North and has been a...
) - The gay stage director with a penchant for sodomySodomySodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
. - Wynyard (frogFrogFrogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
) (Brian SergentBrian SergentBrian Sergent is an actor born and based in Wellington, New Zealand. He has appeared in some of New Zealand’s television series, commercial advertisements, and is well known in theatre and his voice is recognized for his voice-overs and radio presentations...
) - Addicted to "every barbiturateBarbiturateBarbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
known to man". He is a Vietnam veteran who gets flashbacks about the war and throws knives for the show. - Samantha (catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
) (Donna Akersten) - A promiscuous showgirl and Bletch's mistress. - Harry (rabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
) - SatyristicHypersexualityHypersexuality is extremely frequent or suddenly increased sexual urges or sexual activity. Hypersexuality is typically associated with lowered sexual inhibitions. Although hypersexuality can be caused by some medical conditions or medications, in most cases the cause is unknown...
MC who contracts "the big one", a fatal STDSexually transmitted diseaseSexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
. - Fly-in-the-sky (flyFlyTrue flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
) (Brian SergentBrian SergentBrian Sergent is an actor born and based in Wellington, New Zealand. He has appeared in some of New Zealand’s television series, commercial advertisements, and is well known in theatre and his voice is recognized for his voice-overs and radio presentations...
) - Stereotypical paparazzoPaparazziPaparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
bent on breaking Harry's story. - Sidney (Sid) (elephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
) (Mark WrightMark Wright (actor)Mark Wright is a New Zealand-based actor and voice actor. His roles, which have been many, are often comedic in nature.-Television Roles:*The Billy T James Show - Nigel Fitchurch*1990: The Issues - Various Characters*Issues - Various Characters...
) - Animal trainer who thinks that he has terrible luck. - Sandy (chickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
) (Stuart DevenieStuart DevenieStuart Forbes Devenie is an actor and theatre director in New Zealand 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 Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North and has been a...
) - Has Sid's child out of wedlock. - Seymour (hybrid) - Sidney's and Sandy's baby. He is an elephant and chicken hybrid.
- Barry (bulldogBulldogBulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
) (Mark HadlowMark HadlowMark Hadlow is a New Zealand actor and comedian.Hadlow is perhaps best known internationally for the role of Harry in King Kong...
) - Bletch's driver and enforcer. - Giant spider (spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
) - A sentry for shed 11 warehouse. - Dennis (aardvarkAardvarkThe aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
) - He has a penchant for sniffing panties. - Abi (humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
) - The only human character, an IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n snake-charmer and contortionist. - Cedric (warthogWarthogThe Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
) - A Scottish warthog who is part of a large gang. - Louie (dogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
) (Mark WrightMark Wright (actor)Mark Wright is a New Zealand-based actor and voice actor. His roles, which have been many, are often comedic in nature.-Television Roles:*The Billy T James Show - Nigel Fitchurch*1990: The Issues - Various Characters*Issues - Various Characters...
) - Cedric's sidekick and a stereotypicalStereotypeA stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
"mangyMangeMange is the common name for a class of persistent contagious skin diseases caused by parasitic mites. Since mites also infect plants, birds, and reptiles, the term "mange," suggesting poor condition of the hairy coat due to the infection, is sometimes reserved only for pathological...
muttMixed-breed dogA mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
". - Mr. Big (whaleWhaleWhale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
) - Cedric and Louie's boss. - Madam Bovine (cow) (Stuart DevenieStuart DevenieStuart Forbes Devenie is an actor and theatre director in New Zealand 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 Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North and has been a...
) - Heavily pierced and large-uddered cow who stars in Trevor's porn. - "The Masked Masochist" (wetaWetaWeta is the name given to about 70 insect species endemic to New Zealand. There are many similar species around the world, though most are in the southern hemisphere. The name comes from the Māori word 'wētā' and is the same in the plural...
) (Mark WrightMark Wright (actor)Mark Wright is a New Zealand-based actor and voice actor. His roles, which have been many, are often comedic in nature.-Television Roles:*The Billy T James Show - Nigel Fitchurch*1990: The Issues - Various Characters*Issues - Various Characters...
) - Actor in Trevor's porn. - Dorothy (sheep) - One of the few minor characters of the theater troupe that is given a name.
- Dr. Quack (duckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
) (Stuart DevenieStuart DevenieStuart Forbes Devenie is an actor and theatre director in New Zealand 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 Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North and has been a...
) - Harry's doctor.
Production
The film was originally conceived for Japanese television and only belatedly became a feature; as such, the script was hastily re-written to be longer. 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. Peter Jackson has a cameo as an audience member dressed as an alien from "Bad Taste". The dialogue was recorded before shooting began. Money ran out during production, so one scene featuring a flashback to VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
was filmed separately (with a different budget) as The Frogs of War. This scene includes a game of Russian roulette
Russian roulette
Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
as a parody of The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter
The Deer Hunter is a 1978 drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steel worker friends and their infantry service in the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep, John Savage, John Cazale, and George Dzundza...
.
An initial application for Film Commission money was rejected, ironically by Executive Director Jim Booth, who a short time later became Jackson's producer. The Commission did eventually grant 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.
Every vehicle seen in the movie is a variation on the Morris Minor
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor was a British economy car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1971...
, including a specially constructed limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
. Morris Minors also appear in Jackson's other movies Bad Taste and Braindead. According to the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
, the production team could not get hold of blank rounds for the M60 machine gun used in the movie, and therefore the gun was firing live ammunition.
The film was marketed with the tagline: "From the creators of Bad Taste
Bad Taste
Bad Taste is a 1987 cult science fiction comedy horror film. Produced on a low budget, it is one of the first films directed by Peter Jackson. The film features Jackson and his friends taking a number of key roles, both on and off-screen...
, comes a film with no taste at all!"
Release
Meet the Feebles premiered at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
in September 1990.
From then on, the film was released among many countries:
- Portugal - February 1991
- Australia - March 1991
- Sweden - April 1991
- Germany - May 1991
- France - July 1991
- United Kingdom - April 1992
- United States - February 1995 (New York), September 1995
- Argentina - November 1999
Critical reception
During its North American limited theatrical releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
in 2002, the critic James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
wrote, "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
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
seem mainstream." Rachel Sanders called it alternatively repulsive and magnificent. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives it a Fresh rating of 75%, based on 20 reviews (as of November 2010).