Eagle vs Shark
| Eagle vs Shark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Taika Waititi |
| Written by | Taika Waititi (Screenplay) Loren Horsley (Story) |
| Produced by | Cliff Curtis |
| Starring | Jemaine Clement Loren Horsley Craig Hall Joel Tobeck |
| Cinematography | Adam Clark |
| Edited by | Jonathan Woodford-Robinson |
| Music by | The Phoenix Foundation |
| Distributed by |  Miramax Films |
Release date | June 15 2007 (NY & LA) |
Running time | 93 min. |
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Language | English |
Eagle vs Shark is a New Zealand-made romantic comedy directed by Academy Award nominee Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. The screenplay was also written by Waititi, based on the character of Lily created by Loren Horsley.[1]
The film had its world premiere at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic section of the festival[2] and opened in the US on June 15th, 2007 in New York and Los Angeles.
Tagline: There's someone for everyone...apparently.
Plot
Lily is a shy, wistful girl, a songwriter when no one is listening, and an unpopular cashier at a fast food restaurant who has a crush from afar on Jarrod, a self-assured eccentric geek who works in a video game store. She waits patiently for him each day at lunchtime, hoping he will pick her queue. Jarrod, though, is interested in Jenny, a more traditionally attractive cashier, and always chooses her line.
With Jenny not at work one day, Jarrod gives Lily an invitation to his "dress as your favorite animal" party to pass along to her, but Jenny crumples it up and throws it away upon receiving it. Lily retrieves the invitation from the trash, hoping Jarrod won't mind when she shows up with her brother Damien.
The party is sparsely attended with what seems to be teenagers and adults mainly culled from the customer base at Jarrod's store, all dressed extravagantly as their favorite animal. Jarrod is impressed with Lily's shark costume, though he insists an eagle is slightly better, as well as her savant-like video game skills, making it to the finals of a Fight Man video game competition, though she is no match for the perennial champion, Jarrod (partially because she is too busy staring at him). The two end up in Jarrod's room alone that night and awkwardly begin their relationship.
Lily now considers Jarrod her boyfriend and hangs out around his store. They set a date one night to see "the new Wolverine movie" at the local Theatersaurus Rex, to which Jarrod never shows. He comes by her house later that night to apologize, saying he was depressed and needed to be alone. He later says that he has to kill a man in his hometown who used to bully him in high school, but laments that he has no car to get there. Lily asks Damien, and he consents to drive Jarrod and Lily to Jarrod's home for the week to meet his fate and complete his fantasy revenge mission with the help of his inept hacker friend and his oddball family.[3]
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jemaine Clement | Jarrod |
| Loren Horsley | Lily |
| Jackie van Beek | Anthea |
| Craig Hall | Doug Davis |
| Joel Tobeck | Damien |
| Rachel House | Nancy |
Production
The films' script was workshopped at the Sundance Film Festival Director's and Screenwriter's Labs in June, 2005.[4] The script was sold in August and given a budget of NZ$1.8M ($1.35M US Dollars). It was shot entirely in New Zealand, in and around Wellington, during 25 days in October and November of 2005 with a crew of 35 workers.[5][6]
The film is composed mostly of live action, but segments within the film are done in stop motion by Another Planet Ltd., utilizing both props and actors.[7]
Critical Reception
The film has not made a mark with mainstream critics as of yet, featuring a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com, with a 49% "cream of the crop" rating.[8] It receives a 53 rating on Metacritic, though an 8.5 fan rating.[9] Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal says "..."Eagle vs Shark" has its own distinctive style, partly thanks to whimsical little interludes of animation, but mainly because it ties blithe absurdity to a rock bed of emotional truth."[10] Jim Ridley of the Village Voice notes a similarity to Napoleon Dynamite saying "Napoleon Dynamite looks like Cary Grant next to the hero of this Kiwi quirk-a-thon: a hulking, sullen creep named Jarrod whose goony sulking, petulant selfishness and dweeby videogame obsession somehow work like Spanish fly on mousy burger-flipper Lily."[11]
Chicago film critic Adam Fendelman said of Loren Horsley: "The magnetic eccentricity in her eyes, the gawky facial expressions and her innocently peculiar mannerisms were distinctly charming. She’s someone you’d want to befriend."[12]
Distribution
At Cannes 2006 it was announced that Miramax Films had purchased the North American theatrical rights after watching a five-minute trailer.[13] The film had a limited U.S. release in June 2007 and in the United Kingdom and New Zealand in Aug. 2007.[14]
Box Office
Eagle vs Shark opened on Friday, June 15th, 2007 on 3 screens (1 in NYC, 2 in LA) grossing $20,361, an average of $6,787 per screen.[15] This was preceded by a series of free screenings, some with a Q&A with Taika Waititi and Loren Horsley, in certain cities to gain a word of mouth buzz.[16]
References
- ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
- ^ The Big Idea article.
- ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
- ^ Interview with Waititi and Horsley.
- ^ Creative Screenwriting's Q&A Podcast.
- ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
- ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ Metacritic.
- ^ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118186395464336075.html Kiwi Comedy 'Eagle vs Shark' Is Endearing, Odd.]
- ^ Eagle vs. Shark review.
- ^ HollywoodChicago.com interviews
- ^ Variety.
- ^ HollywoodChicago.com
- ^ Box Office Mojo.
- ^ Creative Screenwriting's Q&A Podcast.