Movie of the Day – Eagle vs Shark

Nothing like a quirky comedy to lift the spirits.  In the spirit of romance and love stories, the quirky comedies are by far the best representation of relationship movies.  Love is supposed to be awkward and about this two-step dance that the two awe struck leads are supposed to follow.  I don’t care what the current romantic comedy with Kate Hudson or Sandra Bullock or Sarah Jessica Parker tells you, that sets up this unrealistic portrayal of romance.  I have been to my fair share of romantic comedies, namely because my then girlfriends ate that stuff up.  They are too pretty, too perfect, too just unrealistic.  We all want to meet our special someone, but I doubt we are all meeting them at loft parties in New York or at the latest club hotspot in Los Angeles.   Sorry to break that reality (not really).  So I find my hope and expectation met in the romance department with these quirky love stories like Eagle vs. Shark.  It’s not a perfect movie, but the characters are entertaining, full of quirk and affable.

Jarrod (Jemaine Clement) is a clerk at the local electronics store. Lily (Loren Horsley) is a shy cashier who earns her keep at the local Meaty Boy. After getting fired from her job, an emboldened Lily determines to put on her favorite shark costume, shed her inhibitions, and attend Jarrod’s annual “come as your favorite” animal bash. In the following days, a tentative romance begins to develop between Lily and Jarrod, and when Jarrod announces plans to travel back to his hometown and seek revenge on an old nemesis, Lily decides to follow along for the ride. As Jarrod begins to set his diabolical plan into motion, Lily finds herself stranded in an unfamiliar new town and surrounded by a disorienting collection of eccentrics. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

I have never really mentioned my love of Jermaine Clement, one half of the New Zealand fold duo, Flight of the Conchords.  I enjoy every movie he shows up in and was the only likeable thing in Dinner for Schmucks and Gentlemen Bronco.  He brings his eccentric and entertaining mannerisms to the movie, hitting one-liners and just being a lovable goof.  He brings subtle, slow humor to the mix of the movie and scenes where he is sharpening his karate skills are hilarious.  Amongst all that though, his intimate moments with Lily are charming and endearing.  You want to see it all work out for the two of them and his bravado should be paid off in the end.

Loren Horsley’s character Lily is absolutely wonderful.  Her natural chemistry with Jarrod is obvious on screen and she always this look on her face like she is quietly observing her secret admirer from afar, not in a creepy way mind you, but a unrequited love she has.

Overall this is a wonderful love story, although the quirkiness of the movie is fairly thick.  This is as indie as a film can get, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.  Nicely drawn animation scenes bookend the beginning and end of particular scenes and it doesn’t detract from the movie.  I mean when you have the characters share their first kiss as an Eagle and Shark, you can’t go wrong with some silliness.  The soundtrack is beautiful with the folk sounds from the native New Zealand artists and it tempos the movie nicely.  This is a romantic comedy that strays off the formulaic path of most Hollywood romance movies.  This is as real, earnest, heartful and funny as a romance movie can get without this ridiculous expectation that love stories place on the two pretty white people, finding love in the busy city.  Wah wah :p