Peter
Jacksons Feebles Shocks and Entertains
by Cedric Severino
So,
did you ever have a nagging desire to see Kermit and Miss Piggy
go at it, no holds barred? Or see Gonzo snort some coke while digging
on demented pornography? If you answered yes to either of these
questions, Meet the Feebles, Peter Jacksons cinematic journey
into the Muppet underworld, is definitely a must see.
The movie is complete with every form of Muppet obscenity and bizarreness
that the undernourished prurient mind of an Oberlin student may
desire. It also flies in the face of the establishment, which has
unfortunately restricted (with Jim Hensons leadership) Muppets
to the idealized world of family values.
The movies plot is simple: we follow the Feebles as they prepare
for the upcoming live performance of their unique variety show.
We are introduced to character after character, each dealing with
his own personal problems as the day unfolds. We get the best and
the worst of Feeble life the downfall and humiliation of
a hippo diva, the depravity, lust and greed of a walrus producer,
and the beautiful development of young feeble love between a hedgehog
and a strange looking poodle.
The subplots are given equal time in the movie. These tangents include
a drug deal by a golf-playing Scottish punk rhino named Cedric that
goes horribly wrong, leading to the inhalation of Borax instead
of cocaine and the horrible deaths that result, and a child support
battle between an elephant and a duck. These scenes and scenarios
complement the main action well and provide additional excuses for
violence, vulgar humor and the exercise of Jacksons weird
imagination.
Since the movie is centered on the performance of a variety show,
its filled with wonderful music numbers that the aesthete
in all of us can appreciate for their odd beauty while we laugh
at their ridiculousness. One high point is the pretentious directors
celebration of the joys of sodomy. We are also treated to the difficulties
that a knife-throwing junkie must face as he tries to deal with
his Vietnam past and keep his hands steady to avoid maiming his
assistant or himself. The scenes are delightful and are framed well,
as Jackson refrains from being too overindulgent with their length
and disgusting content.
Feebles is ultimately life affirming, but not in the pretentious
way that American Beauty is or the bullshit sentimental style of
Amélie. Instead the viewer gets a glimpse into all that life
may entail for anyone, feeble or not. The good, the bad, and very
often, the ugly are all explored here. Although the violence and
vulgarity that dominate the movie may turn the civilized viewer
off like one too many smashed Gallagher watermelons, its all
in good fun and ultimately serves the best value of all pure
superficial entertainment.
In our collegiate lives, concerned with the meaningful, the socially
significant, the beautiful and the true, it is nice to escape to
an alternate surrealistic cinematic existence, in which we see the
world as it really is, though populated by fun loving feebles instead
of the bastards in our reality. The movie may be stupid, but its
incredibly fun and worthwhile for the once in a lifetime filmic
experience that it provides.
Meet
the Feebles will be shown by OFS on April 27 in the New Science
Center.
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