Eagle Vs. Shark
Taika Cohen wrote and directed this simultaneously hilarious and painful peek into a pair of New Zealander loonies who can’t seem to get love right. It’s part romantic comedy and part revenge of the nerd.
What happens when some people can never get over themselves? Jemaine Clement plays loser Jarrod, who works at a video game store in the mall and is plotting revenge on a classmate that tortured him years ago. Wait, he also has a daughter in which he practically ignores.
Lilly (Loren Horsley) sees past his infantile ways and falls for him, only to find herself stuck at his family’s house after he decided to break off their relationship. Not only does she have to deal with Jarrod’s canoodling with another woman, but Jarrod’s false paraplegic father who can’t get over his other son’s suicide.
The movies many wacky turns has great moments-one of my favorites is when -Lilly shows up to a party clad in a sweat-suite, gets drunk off champagne, Hoola hoops with the crowd chanting her name, and runs obliviously into the night sea.
This film has been bagered and said to be a Kiewie knockoff of Napoleon Dynamite. The erratic and lonesome weirdos may seem very similar, but Eagle Vs. Shark was written first. I feel lost in a world where the time period is unknown, and everything is stark and bleak as I did when I saw ND, but Eagle Vs. Shark has a glimmer of a bigger meaning peeping behind Jarrod’s mullet. The film does inspire while it entertains.
Adam Bregman’s review for Orlandoweekly.com points out the fact that this movie diverges from the typical nerd flick.
“In the real world, nerds have sex, fall in love, get married and have kids, though they may do some of these things more awkwardly than others. A revelation in the history of nerds on film, Eagle vs. Sharkis a sincere work that treats nerds as human beings, rather than punching bags. ” writes Bregman
He also says that Jarrod is atypical in the way that he is not a sympathetic character. He is a jerk through and through, but he eventually realizes his failings.
Lilly is genuine and cares for Jarrod even though he is a “loser”.
But when love is the final outcome, not matter how awkwardly it is assembled, we should celebrate it.
Oh- and I almost forgot to mention the killer soundtrack made up of many New Zealand bands as well as some other great stuff.
Sources:
Bregman, A. (2009). Losers in Love. Orlando Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.orlandoweekly.com/film/review.asp?rid=1287
