'Feels Good Man' Review
NR
Runtime: 1 Hr and 32 Minutes
Production Companies: Wavelength Productions, XTR, Museum & Crane
Distributor: Ready Fictions
Directors: Arthur Jones
Writers: Giorgio Angelini, Arthur Jones, Aaron Wickenden
Cast: Matt Furie
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Artist Matt Furie, the creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.
Once upon a time (in 2005), a college student named Matt Furie drew a cartoon frog. It started as a webcomic for MySpace while he was getting high with his friends in Cali. The Internet quickly got ahold of it and that frog became a worldwide phenomenon, but it was later transformed into something disgusting. Of course, we’re talking about Pepe the Frog. Everyone is aware of Pepe the Frog or has encountered him in some way, shape, or form, but in Arthur Jones’s doc Feels Good Man, we finally get to learn the origins of the meme that took the entire world by storm… in the best AND worst ways.
In order to dissect this frog’s rise to fame, the film dives into the story of Matt Furie, a now 41-year-old man with a female partner and a kid, who simply wanted to be a successful illustrator. But when the face of his most brilliant creation took off and became one of the first, most popular, and longest-lasting Internet memes, he decided to do what every other independent artist with a famous creation would do: capitalize on it. Unfortunately, that came to a screeching halt when 4chan was born. Feels Good Man organically turns into a detailed course on Internet culture and the versatility of the frog. It’s sort of like watching Darwinism in effect as this meme was adapted over time while the Internet evolved and more platforms were introduced.
Something that I appreciate about Jones’s approach is that he doesn’t keep the story within a small circle. He reaches out to various sources and experts to help express how this meme bled over to different platforms, interviewing knowledgeable users of said platforms to show how Pepe overtook their neck of the woods. The 4chan user that is interviewed goes into insane details of all the crazy, evil actions that incel men conducted and how this frog was associated with it all, even long before he became a main instrument in the 2016 election. The way that alt-right White supremacists gained control of Pepe is soul-crushing and absolutely terrifying.
I usually try to avoid saying cliched critic lines like, “This is the most relevant doc that you should watch right now,” especially when there are more urgent matters that need to be addressed today. However, this film explains how the fuck we as a country entered the nightmarish reality we’re living in today and it’s as fascinating as it is infuriating.
Another relevant discussion it tackles is the age-old question, “Can you separate the artist from the art?” Although that answer is more situational than a general rule of thumb, in this case, the answer is yes. You feel nothing but sympathy towards Furie as you witness him having to see his creation get completely Frankenstein-ed by some of the worst, most hateful low-lives in the country who caused the destruction that changed the course of history. You’re placed in the passenger seat of this stomach-churning, fascinating, and absolutely terrifying roller-coaster ride about the evolution of the Internet and how this cartoon frog played an intricate role in unexpected areas. Every artist, including myself, has a go-to signature character they love to draw. As an artist, it puts you at peace and gets your creative juices flowing. Pepe was Furie’s go-to face and seeing him be unable to reclaim his property for so long was heartbreaking. I even shed a tear when he had to kill Pepe, a face that made him and a lot of people happy, after being used as a symbol of hate. All the creator wanted to do was capitalize on his own creation.
There are so many poignant and bittersweet moments within this story that shook me to the core. One instance that stuck with me the most was Furie’s response when he first saw Pepe being used in disgusting images for shock value prior to it being used for absolute evil. In the film, he says, “American culture produces garbage and celebrates garbage, so seeing disgusting images of my character doesn’t shock me. Now, if I saw him in a positive image I would've been shocked.” Aside from that, there are incredible and colorful animated sequences of Furie’s Boy’s Club crew that bridges the portions of the story together. As you watch Matt’s personal tale play out, trying to reclaim his image to do some good, the background displays these beautiful animations.
I don’t want to say too much about the doc because it’s truly engrossing, perfectly paced, and well-told. It provides intricate details of the influence of the Internet and the evil powers of terrible people who got America where it is today. It will ruffle your feathers, especially if you’re somehow unaware of this frog in the first place, and if you are, congratulations. You’ve been living under a rock. Feels Good Man is one of the most engaging and brilliant movies I’ve seen this year and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 4/5 | 88%
