Film Friday: Eagle vs Shark

Spoiler Alert: The following post contains some spoilers for Eagle vs Shark (2007,) which as of the time of posting was available to stream on Netflix. 

We’re going back to Film Friday today with a spotlight on a film that I feel like I should have seen long before I did. Eagle vs Shark is 2007 film out of New Zealand starring Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) and directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok; What We Do in the Shadows.) The beauty of this Eagle vs Shark is that it’s in part a sweet, awkward romance and a bit an awkward, character comedy.

As you can see from the trailer above, Eagle vs Shark tells the story of a man who wants to go back home to fight his childhood bully, and the woman who falls for him. If anything, the trailer paints the movie a little more sweet and genuine and a little less awkward than it is. I don’t say that to detract from the movie in any way. The movie feels less run of the mill romantic comedy and more unique in its own absurdity.

It’s probably important to note that I love Flight of the Conchords the band, and I loved Flight of Conchords the HBO show. What makes their comedy work so well for me is it takes a special brand of confidence to pull off the confidence of an oblivious jackass and remain likable. Mr. Clement is able to do in his music but plays a completely different type of obliviousness here equally effective. I loved almost every line his character said.

The writer/director of the movie also deserves incredible credit for making it work so well. Mr. Waititi writes complex, funny characters that feel realized even in smaller side roles. I first got to know Mr. Waititi through Thor: Ragnarok, which is obviously an incredibly different movie with an astronomically different budget. Both movies are laugh out loud funny, and Mr. Waititi’s filmography is filled with movies that I think any fan of comedy should watch if they haven’t already.

In suggesting this movie to a friend, I asked if he liked Napoleon Dynamite—not if he liked people quoting the movie for years after, which was super annoying and took a lot of the humor out of the film, but if he liked the actual movie. I think Eagle vs Shark has some of the same awkward character comedy but surrounds it with more emotion and tenderness.

Verdict: stream it.