EAGLE VS SHARK

EAGLE VS SHARK IS AN EVEN MATCH
It would be too easy to compare this film to NAPOLEON DYNAMITE from 2004. Both movies have off-beat characters; but school is out and it's time for the real world in New Zealand. This is an usual love story. Lily (Lauren Horsley) looks forward to lunchtime at her job at a burger joint so she can glance, and perchance take the order of the object of her desire, mall worker, Jarrod (Jemaine Clement). Lily crashes his costume party as a shark and he is the eagle; "I almost came as a shark actually, but then I realized an eagles slightly better." One thing leads to another and she agrees to go back with him to his home town for his confrontation with an old high school bully. While he prepares for the showdown (using numchucks and sweet moves) she gets to know his family and weaves a quiet thread that links them all together, whereas time and circumstances have pulled them apart. This is a sweet and simple love story and Lily is sweet and simple in a mature way. There is more to her than meets the eye and she proves to be strong. Jarrod is hilarious to watch because he is so earnest and serious about his endeavor. The film is beautiful, New Zealand is beautiful, and the stop-motion animation is different and fun. It's an easy comparison to ND, but there is so much more depth and insight in this movie.
Pick: A sweet and smart film, fun and lighthearted with some dramatic overtone.