John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, and Michael Palin star in this comedy about an evil media tycoon who's most recent corporate takeover has added a zoo to his empire. There aren't that many movies in which zoos play a prominent role (usually just existing to allow for a random animal escape). Of those that do, this is the one that I find that zookeepers enjoy the most.
Fierce Creatures is silly, fun, and unbelievable in some aspects - yes, I'm sure that staff meetings would be so much more fun if every keeper had their favorite animal sitting in their lap. At the same time, it also uses comedy to tell a few truths that many zoo staff will relate to. I don't think I've heard a single discussion on zoo marketing that doesn't reference the movie's crazy sponsorship scenes, cumulating in a tiger wearing an "Absolut Fierce" poster. Many keepers have had the frustration of answering to managers who just don't get what it is they do. When faced with danger (in this case, from cost-cutting management), keepers will do any number of crazy things for their charges.
On a side note, not a single one of the zookeepers is portrayed as having even a little bit of a life outside of work... which is also pretty accurate, based on my experience.
Fierce Creatures has long been a favorite of mine for being a funny, enjoyable flick - a zoo movie that uses animals for more than action scenes and comedy relief. What is probably the most rewarding thing about watching Fierce Creatures is that the keepers are the good guys/gals. All of the other major protagonists are eventually won over to their side, realizing that the true value of a zoo can't be summed up on a ledger sheet. That alone makes it a worthwhile movie in my eyes.
PS: Another interesting side note - working with ring-tailed lemurs in this movie left John Cleese with a special attachment to lemurs, leading him to make a documentary about the primates. In 2005, a newly discovered lemur species was named after the actor: Avahi cleesei
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