“Feels Good Man” Review: Taking Back a Symbol of Hate
Out of any popular internet memes that have taken our culture by swarm, none have been so versatile and long-lasting as Pepe the Frog. Created by Matt Furie for his comic Boys Club — Pepe was a wholesome, funny, and cute anthropomorphic frog that was caught up in real-world hijinks in a “post-college” era of life. Pepe was a small piece in what was an otherwise larger cast of characters, yet the overall simplicity and cuter nature of Pepe made him the poster boy for Boys Club, and swiftly took the internet by storm.
Whether you’re involved in internet “meme culture” or not, you’ve most certainly heard of Pepe the Frog; even more likely, is that you haven’t heard much of anything good about Pepe, either. In 2016, during election season, what was otherwise a seemingly innocent and funny meme was co-opted by the alt-right*, becoming a symbol of hate. I won’t show you any of the disgusting, hurtful, and extremely hateful images I (and probably you) have seen throughout the last few years, but it’s important to know that Pepe was never intended to spiral out of control like this. Feels Good Man attempts to dig into the history of Pepe the Frog — to learn about his creation and creator, dig into how Pepe was co-opted, and the efforts made throughout the years to take Pepe back from those who wished to destroy him.
Feels Good Man is an extremely political film; digging into the complex and uncomfortable topics that are otherwise neglected when talking about online culture. Since the internet is such a complicated topic to discuss, Feels Good Man streamlines the discussion to a degree that makes the smorgasbord of information easy to digest, while never simplifying it to a point where nothing is being said at all. To help distinguish Feels Good Man from other documentaries of its ilk, the film takes a vibrant, cartoony approach to presenting information a lot of the time; it makes for an easy, colorful, and enjoyable viewing experience while dark subject matter is discussed.
The rancid topics within Feels Good Man are something that has to be talked about, especially in today’s increasingly dark and decrepit political climate. With such touchy subject matter on display, there’s some upsetting imagery used within the documentary, yet those who’ve perpetuated hate are never credited or given a platform (something Happy Happy Joy Joy could’ve benefited from**). A harsh, critical eye is placed on those who’ve taken an otherwise innocent image and turned it upside down, which is severely helped by a wide range of voices to speak on the matter.
As expected, Pepe’s creator (Matt Furie) has the largest amount of speaking time within the film. Matt covers Pepe’s origins and the laissez-faire approach he took when Pepe started blowing up on Myspace and other online message boards — never being involved with anything, thinking Pepe was just a ditzy little trend that would flutter away as fast as it sprung to life. Sooner rather than later, Feels Good Man showcases Furie’s troubles with trying to contain the beast of hate, and the film hands the mic off to a wide range of diverse voices to speak on the matter. From lawyers, scholars, and even other artists — as well as other marginalized groups — many people who have been in contact (directly or indirectly) with Pepe speak about the matter and what they’ve done to take back (what was supposed to be) a wholesome character. Not only does Feels Good Man decipher hateful politics to preach love and acceptance, but it also takes that message to heart — itself — to bring on many people of several backgrounds and professions to speak on the litany of topics on offer within the movie.
If there’s one thing that I could almost point to as an issue within Feels Good Man, it would be the wide array of topics covered with the documentary. Feels Good Man runs for a brisk ninety-four-minutes (including credits), and there’s a ton to talk about throughout. While some topics feel a little more “necessary” to talk about more than others, Feels Good Man goes as in-depth as it can considering the runtime. Topics within the film range from Pepe’s creation, its evolution to meme status, and even to where he’s been used for a branded cryptocurrency. Feels Good Man sometimes borders on having a bit too much information spliced throughout the movie, yet an overall sense of balance is achieved in the film to keep everything concise while still being informative.
Our world needs positivity more than ever, and Feels Good Man helps to spread that by not only giving us the history of the internet’s most prevalent meme, but by also advocating to make positive changes on how to create and share (especially online). Although Pepe is still used by those who want to spread hate and destruction, Pepe has also seen a resurgence of positivity over the years: used as a symbol of hope, love, and peace. Although Feels Good Man can be a troubling watch (especially those who’ve been on the receiving end of hate via a Pepe meme), it’s an important political documentary that’s extremely educational, while also being easy to view with its glorious presentation.
Feels Good Man is currently available for digital rental/purchase on Amazon Video.
*The link posted leads to the official ADL page about Pepe the Frog, and contains contextual images that are extremely offensive. Click the link at your own discretion.
**Link to my review of Happy Happy Joy Joy.
