Eagle vs Shark
Director: Taika Waititi. Screenplay: Taika Waititi. Cinematography: Adam Clark. Film editing: Jonathan Woodford-Robinson. Producers: Cliff Curtis, Ainsley Gardiner. With: Loren Horsley, Jemaine Clement, Aaron Cortesi, David Fane, Adam Gardiner, Cori Gonzales-Macuer, Craig Hall, Tanea Heke, Morag Hills, Cohen Holloway, Rachel House, Gentiane Lupi, Chelsie Preston-Crayford, Bernard Stewart, Joel Tobeck, Ban Abdul, Monique Bradley, Luke Buda, Rachel Forman, Anna Horsley, Mike King, Miranda Manasiadis, Madeleine Sarni, Dylan Taylor, Jackie van Beek, Matt Wheelan, Tammy Davis, Julian Arahanga, Riley Brophy, Rosie Graham, Kura Sanderson, Justin Wu, Tyrell Samia. New Zealand. 88 min. 2007.
A nerdy girl meets a geeky boy, bonds with him at a costume party, visits him at his family’s dismal home, and learns that his none-too-agile mind is obsessed with plans for revenge on a guy who bullied him in high school years ago. In every imaginable way—acting, dialogue, camerawork, you name it—this New Zealand production is a Down Under rehash of Napoleon Dynamite, and you can’t recapture that kind of freshness by simply plugging into the same formula. At least there are a few funny scenes, and the showdown with the bully is worth waiting for.
– David Sterritt
