Eagle vs. Shark is more interested in whimsy than wit, and when it comes to milking its characters for a little goofball charm, we are stuck with mostly peculiarities vs. personalities
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07/14/07
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Eagle Vs. Shark (2007)
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Reviews Counted:101
Fresh:55
Rotten:46
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: Though there are frequent moments of wit and mordant humor, Eagle vs Shark needs more to distinguish itself from other precious, Napoleon Dynamite-ish comedies.
Theatrical Release:Jun 15, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $142,513
Synopsis: Which is the more dangerous predator: an eagle or a shark? That's a trick question. Don't try to answer it. You'll have your own opinion by the end of Taika Waititi's deliciously tangy, deadpan... [More]
Starring: Jemaine Clement, Loren Horsley, Brian Sergent, Joel Tobeck
Director: Taika Waititi
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Reviews for Eagle Vs. Shark
Eagle vs. Shark feels like a low-budget, foreign cousin to Napolean Dynamite, less polished and sly. But it's definitely in the same family, lulling us into friendly acceptance with its persuasively silly rhythm and deceptively big heart.
07/13/07
Yes, the nerdy loser thing has been done to death, but writer-director Taika Cohen brings surprising depth to this film...Napoleon Dynamite dreams of being this movie.
07/13/07
So the only real argument I can make for Eagle vs. Shark, a stupid-absurdist comedy from New Zealand, is that I laughed a lot, often despite myself, and that while I might not be able to wholly justify it, I can mount a questionable defense.
07/13/07
Top CriticEagle vs. Shark is exactly how it sounds -- weird yet harmless, easy to get into, sugary all the way through.
07/11/07
I think this film was already made, and it was called Napoleon Dynamite.
07/06/07
Top CriticIt's like watching the loser in a third-grade funny-face contest persist in trying to make you laugh for more than an hour.
07/06/07
Eagle vs. Shark might have seemed amusingly original, albeit in a self-consciously quirky, indie-movie kind of way, if Napoleon Dynamite didn't already exist.
07/06/07
Top CriticIdeal entertainment for anyone who found the stark realism of Napoleon Dynamite too painful to deal with.
07/06/07
Eagle vs. Shark is something of an anti-romantic comedy because its leads are so ill-suited to the conventions of the genre.
07/05/07
Long story short: Although I didn't care for Eagle vs. Shark, I'd be eager to see whatever [director] Cohen makes next.
07/05/07
The movie is so self-consciously odd and twee it's hard to connect with the sad-sack characters. Waititi borrowed the formula for Dynamite but created a damp firecracker.
07/05/07
It's a lovely character study, full of whimsy and the same kind of oddball jerktitude of Napoleon Dynamite, but less abrasive. Sweet, joyless, whimsical, and fantastically acted.
07/05/07
[Director] Waititi's obviously a talent, but here he seems to be trying too hard to not try too hard; he's undermining the cleverness of the writing with the thudding hulk of its delivery.
06/27/07
...a perfect example of manufactured tweeness, a film desperate to be quirky and offbeat but which just doesn't get it...
06/23/07
As pure character study, it's a keeper.
06/22/07
Sorely lacks is a genuine sense of humanity.
06/22/07
Top CriticIf you just can't get enough of watching a waif being mistreated for comic effect, by all means go see Eagle vs. Shark.
06/22/07
Top CriticA disturbing film trying to diguise itself as a quirky romantic comedy. There are indeed some laugh-out-loud moments; unfortunately most of the laughs are aimed at -- not with -- the misfits.
06/22/07
Floats by on a mood of concerned and puckish good will.
06/22/07
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