Eagle vs. Shark is a pretty good movie. If you get anything from this here review, get that, Eagle vs. Shark has a decent shot of making you laugh and it’s also great counterprogramming for a clogged and thusfar average summer. What’s it about? Hard to say. We’ll get into it some, but the answers probably won’t “wow” you or make your decision any easier. Why is the film funny? Another toughie, and what style of comedy you like will play big into how you end up feeling about this one. But I digress, let’s break this mama down.
Okay, so what’s it all about? Well I’d definitely put it in the romantic comedy genre although it’s certainly on the fringes of the romance aspect of that classification. It all takes place in New Zealand, and the accents are appropriately Kiwi. Lily is the gal, Jarrod the guy. They are, for lack of a better word, losers. Not the horrible losers that you’d pretend you had to go build a pool instead of hanging out with, but more losers in the sense that you’d never even get a chance to reject them — that’s how far they are into the background. Lily and Jarrod meet at her job and then commence to dating at one of Jarrod’s dress up parties. Yeah, like I said, not the coolest cats.
So, then, down to the humor. This is dry wit stuff, thinking man’s humor, more Little Miss Sunshine then Wedding Crashers. Actually, that’s a pretty good litmus test for ya, if you like broad and aggressive comedy this may not be for you. If you like awkward silences and offbeat concepts this is your movie. For instance, more than a few of the jokes simply center around phrasing or concepts such as Jarrod’s candle making abilities or Lily’s choice of name for her video game character. This isn’t Vince Vaughn getting tied up, it’s just a strange foray into what makes people weird.
The only place this goes wrong is the overall slowness. It’s got about ten minutes too much on the length side, because the movie isn’t really about any particular story. Eagle also has a few stop motion animation parts that are somewhat misplaced. They help set the tone of the piece, quirky, but they don’t further the story and they seem forced at times.
Now, should you see this or not? It depends on what you want out of your comedy and where you find your laughs. Again, in no way should this be mistaken for a modern laugh riot. Oh, Eagle vs. Shark is extremely funny at times, but these are chuckles earned with subtlety and patience. If you’re a fan of the Coen Brothers or Paul Thomas Anderson I could see you digging on this. If you’re more Something About Mary or South Park you won’t find a ton of value here. For me, I’m into both types and recognize this film for the high level on which it operates. I’m sure there’s an Eagle metaphor in there somewhere but if you’ve read this far I’m going to assume we’re both a lot smarter than that.
