Dvd
Eagle vs Shark
This is the feature debut from Taika Waititi (Oscar nominated short film 'Two Cars One Night') and stars Jemaine Clement from 'Flight Of The Conchords'.
Endlessly compared to 'Napoleon Dynamite', film follows the romance of two grown up uber-nerds. Lily (Horsley) is a fast-food cashier and Jarrod (Clement) works in an electronics store. As they strike up an awkward relationship, Jarrod becomes side tracked by his training – in preparation of taking on his former high-school bully (Fane). Has the NZ comedy film finally arrived?
Starring Jemaine Clement, Loren Horsley, Joel Tobeck, Craig Hall, Rachel House, David Fane, Brian Sergent
Directed by Taika Waititi (feature debut)
Written by Taika Waititi
Drama, Comedy | 1hr 33mins | Rated (M) | violence, offensive language | Origin: New Zealand | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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The feature debut from New Zealand’s great-film-hope Taika Waititi (the shorts Two Cars One Night and Tama Tu), Eagle Vs Shark is a genuinely funny (sometimes smirk inducing and sometimes hilarious), uber-geek romance.
4
Jermaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) plays Jarrod - one of the biggest knobs ever committed to film. For some reason the equally nerdy, but hopelessly romantic & determined Lily (Loren Horsley, who really shines and is the film’s biggest revelation) has got the hots for him. They strike up a romance of sorts, over computer games, awkward conversations, dress up parties and a road trip to Jarrod’s hometown – where he begins training up for a fight with his high school bully (the always great David Fane).
One of the film’s best attributes, and the one likely to divide audiences, is the Jarrod character. Waititi really pushes it; Jarrod’s not just a dick but a real dick. Thrashing wildly about for respect, Jarrod has delusions of grandeur and a big problem with his confidence in equal amounts. He’s harsh, rude, immature, obnoxious, selfish and pathetic. He’s awesome.
It’s obvious the joy Waititi gets in creating the film’s world. It’s very Wellington and very small costal town NZ - but all with a slant. Noticeably there’s no sponsorhip here, which makes for nice touches like the fictional fast food chain (Meaty Boys) and a Maori fighter in a Mortal Kombat styled game. There are also cutesy, but fantastic looking, stop frame animation excursions.
NZ drama is rooted in isolation and a certain detachment; silent, interior-types who struggle to communicate with one another. Similarly, Waititi has found humour – perhaps quintessentially NZ – in awkwardness, loneliness and character insecurities. In this way Eagle Vs Shark, is a giant step forward for NZ comedy and unlike any other.
Unfortunately, it also feels curiously derivative. There are strong similarities with recent ‘new wave’ American comedies. The geek-dom resemblance to Napoleon Dynamite has been mentioned enough already, but probably more accurate is that both films take much from Wes Anderson’s earnest, deadpan characters and cartoon-strip like framing. These are the film’s most overt influences, and it isn’t a bad thing necessarily - everything is borrowed – it’s just very obvious here. But it makes for an interesting skew on this NZ experience, and Waititi succeeds to some desgree in making it his own.
The film loses its way towards the end in trying, I think, too hard to push an emotional resonance. Moments surrounding the climax of the romance and Jarrod’s problems with his family, were overly serious. The earnestness and sweetness is cranked up, and it comes off a tad corny: “life is hard but in between the hard bits there are some lovely bits”. It was a fun enough ride without the message. In the same manner, the ‘quirk’ factor is amped up throughout and at times feels self-conscious.
Because it’s a joy, it’s funny and has a strong independent spirit, I reckon it will be the first local film to be embraced by young NZers. Just having a film like Eagle Vs Shark made – that is, a NZ film that’s very much a product of this generation – is very exciting. Perhaps more exciting though, is too see what Waititi does next.
Reviewed by Paul Scantlebury.SHARE:
The people's reviews
19 reviews
Press Reviews
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Dominion Post [Graeme Tuckett]
4
Sweet-natured, modest in its intentions, and almost defiantly whimsical...
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The Christchurch Press [Margaret Agnew]
4
1/2 It's a gem of geek love in Aotearoa with some virtuoso performances of awkwardness from its two leads, Loren Horsley and Jemaine Clement. This could well be New Zealand's first arthouse rom-com...
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The Hollywood Reporter
Presumably, these characters are meant to be appealing in their ordinariness, but just seem inane. The Farrelly Brothers can get away with it because their writing is smart, even if their characters aren't. For Waititi, who developed the screenplay at the Sundance Lab, wisdom consists of lines like, "life is full of hard bits but in between there are lovely bits"...
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The Lumi?re Reader, Wellington [Kate Blackhurst]
2
It’s just not that funny... If watching adults behaving like stunted emotional fcukwits, while spotting bits of Wellington, for an hour and a half is your idea of fun, you should go...
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The Lumi?re Reader, Wellington [Tim Wong]
4
Although the film is undermined far more as a Michel Gondry cribbage than a Napolean Dynamite proxy, it at once underlines itself culturally with a soft-spoken modesty, and belies its own shyness as a confident, assured piece of moviemaking... anyone seeking an antidote to the buffoonery (and indeed, Auckland-ness) of Sione’s Wedding, its appeal will be immense...
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TV3 [Kate Rodger]
3
1/2 Eagle versus Shark will either hit the bulls eye for some, or miss the dartboard completely for others...
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Variety [USA]
Some light laughs ensue and loner protagonists possess an offbeat appeal, but the 30ish characters, Kiwi accents and profoundly twee nature place a large question mark over its commercial prospects with the “Napoleon” demographic...
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