Eagle Vs. Shark

January 9 2009, 9:30pm

Kind of like a New Zealand Napoleon Dynamite, but with less self-confidence in the screwy rightness of its characters. Jemaine Clement is far less appealing (intentionally so) here than in Flight of the Conchords, unless you think his chief appeal is his pillowy lips, as they do appear a lot in this. Loren Horsley, as the female lead Lily, is pretty freaking awesome, or as awesome as someone can be while turning in the definitive performance of withdrawn nerdy girl with low self-esteem. Her crazed drunken social awakening at the neighborhood party is the secret heart of the movie. I'm giving it a 6 because it's a movie in which not a lot happens, but not in a Jarmuschian sense.