Rediscovering: Eagle vs Shark (2007)

Thanks for not spoiling Jared’s showdown with his school bully!

I love the way the man in the red hoodie summarizes this film. I absolutely love this movie.

I loved Eagle vs. Shark when it came out and still do. Maybe you have to be weird/awkward/out-of-step-with-the-world yourself to appreciate it :D Surprised you guys didn't mention "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" which is amazing.

I Loved this..it was so interesting 🤔. I actually hate Napoleon Dynamite..mainly because I know someone like him..and he irritates me. I Absolutely LOVE Eagle vs Shark and watch it from time to time. I used to hang out in record shops..and was never a Gamer..so your conversation on that angle was interesting. I have always hung out with Musicians and Music Lovers..although I'm an ICU Nurse. I don't play any instruments ...but My Husband does and he's a Gamer. My Brother could play any instrument but I was more fascinated with music History. My Brother was also a Lawyer. Sadly He committed suicide and was my bestfriend. I think I could relate to how suicide can make a family dysfunctional. It seemed like there was a lot of pressure on Jarrod's Brother Gordon and my Brother probably felt like that.. I'm just telling you all this to give you my perspective. You didn't mention that Lily and her Brother lost their Parents. I felt like that was why they were close and she was so shy. Both her and Jarrod were sad.. They had grief in common.. Towards the end of the film she kind of gets over her shyness and starts telling Jarrod she' cares for him but she wasn't going to stay and be mistreated. . He was not nice to her. She see's through everyone's Crap..and I remember her telling some of them she liked them anyway but she wasn't going to hang around for BS and abuse. So to me..she finds her strength. At the same time Jarrod has his fight and still loses. The Bully is in a Wheelchair. It's humiliating. I feel like he gets it out of his system. So the end is kind of like they both grew and found out they really cared for each other. If you read this I'd be curious to know if I made you see it a little differently. I also remember Jarrod's Mother ran off as a Lesbian..so that added more grief and dysfunction. That part seemed a little awkward to me in the context of the movie..but maybe added to why Jarrod's Dad was struggling. I Love the part where he gets out of the Wheelchair and stomps off..after she pushed him around. To me it exposed his BS. I think Lily was able to call them out and find Love and family which she needed. The part where she throws the rock and kills a bird..just kind of added to her sorrow and feeling like her life kept going wrong. That may have been where she started to feel like she had had enough and started to stand up for herself.

Hey guys I love your film reviews. You two are definitely enlightening film critics. I saw you review Brazil and thought it was brilliant. I would ask you to review Twelve Monkeys next time as it is also a Terry Gilliam piece that I love and it stars two of my favourite actors Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.

I had a feeling it was going to be Eagle Vs Shark 😄 The first Taika Waititi film I saw was Hunt For The Wilderpeople. And I came away from it feeling incredibly jolly and emboldened as it was really very funny and genuinely moving. It had some moments of poignancy that penetrated and moved and jokes of all varieties, absurd, disgusting, touching and truthful. So when I came to see Eagle Vs Shark I did come away feeling a bit disappointed and, I dunno, perplexed as to - why did I feel it left me with a bit of a sour taste. And, I think J, you nailed one aspect there in your appraisal in that many of the characters felt like they were being a little ridiculed a bit callously in the eye and via the pen of Waititi. There was something a shade too unsympathetic and harsh about how they were created and portrayed. And the way Jarrod treated Lily! There was a point where I was just finding it enraging and depressing, and not in way that complimented the tone. It was getting very close to making Jarrod irredeemable in his behaviour. Still, I did find some charm in it, all in all. I did enjoy the animation, I felt it worked. In fact I could have done with more of that (it did immediately make me think of Wes Anderson though 😄). And the finale face off with the 'legendary' bully I found particularly funny, especially the obvious dead pan delivery of it (when Jarrod is interrogating him about when did it happen? 'about a year ago'. How?! Bully responds - 'accident'. Jarrod demands 'what kind?!' And then immediately softens his tone to something resembling concern and answers his own question with 'car accident?'. Haha it was small moments like that that comically undermined the bravado and cruelness that saved it for me. Jermaine Clement is very good at those instant tonal shifts I think. It was a weird mix I found, didn't quite gel but I still found parts pretty funny. And Loren Horsley as Lily, with the patience and understanding of an angel, was the true saving grace of it. Hunt For The Wilderpeople though... Much, much better! (mind you, it was his first full feature film wasn't it. Art and the artist go through many changes and refinements from the early days on, don't they).

There was another unknown NZ cult classic “Once Were Warriors”. Have a look at that

Eagle vs shark is a movie about narcissistic emotional abuse.

I get the overt quirkiness isn't for everyone but .... you didn't like Jojo Rabbit?