'Eagle vs. Shark': Revenge of the New Zealand nerds

The scruffy microbudgeted film pairs two lovelorn geeks in an unlikely romantic comedy about 'little people' finding love.

from the June 15, 2007 edition

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Not surprisingly, Lily tags along. Horsley, who in real life is Waititi's girlfriend, is an amiable performer who also knows how to convey doggedness. Jarrod's mission may be harebrained, but at least it's more exciting than waiting tables.

The awkwardness of geek love is not the most promising of movie subjects. "Eagle vs. Shark" manages to hold your interest because the New Zealand setting adds a fresh perspective to an old formula. In Hollywood, it's more common to see a geek and beauty fall in love, as in, most recently, "Knocked Up." The movie that "Eagle vs. Shark" most reminded me of is "Napoleon Dynamite," which practically defined the geek genre.

Like that film, "Eagle vs. Shark" is nothing much to look at visually. Instead, Waititi puts all his energies into the Lily-Jarrod combo. He is betting that their goofy affectionateness will carry the day. It doesn't quite work. For one thing, Jarrod is such a bundle of anger that, when his final showdown with the bully occurs, the results are more ugly than comic. It's difficult to know what Waititi was going for in this scene. It's not that I'm against injecting darkness into a light comedy; it's just that the darkness here is not really dealt with. It's plunked into the movie.

What rescues "Eagle vs. Shark" is its focus on Lily. Although Horsley overdoes the winsomeness, she is genuinely appealing. Love erases Lily's geekiness and in its place stands an attractive young woman.

Like "Once," "Eagle vs. Shark" is in danger of being overrated because it's an offbeat movie about "little people" finding love. In truth, it's also a commercially contrived comedy with one eye on the box office (just as "Napoleon Dynamite" was). It's best approached with lowered expectations. Grade: B

• Rated R for language, some sexuality, and brief, animated violence.

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