Awkward. An overused adjective meaning uncomfortable, clumsy, or as Urban Dictionary puts it "passing a homeless person on your way to a coin star machine." It also happens to be the perfect word to describe Jemaine Clement, most widely known as one half of the comedy folk duo Flight of the Conchords. I recently picked up a copy of Eagle Vs. Shark, a 2007 film Clement stared in. To be perfectly honest, my only reason for watching this particular movie was because I knew Clement was in it. Alas, I was disappointed that Clement was unable to reignite the fire that was put out on that last episode of Conchords I watched.
On a macro level, the film is about a romance between two misfits. On a micro level, it's about the importance of being comfortable in one's own skin and of living in the present, rather than the past. Good concepts, but the execution seemed a bit shoddy.
Nothing is more fun than finding a character in a movie that you just fall in love with. I was not fortunate enough to encounter such passion during the 88 minutes I spent with Eagle vs Shark. The characters were the same old ones seen in every movie. We meet the typical unsupportive father who, after a typical conversation with his child's significant other, makes typical amends with his offspring.
I can't help but feel that Clement has been typecast and I think that's what stopped me from enjoying this movie the most. We all know about the dangers of type casting, from the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death of George Reeves, to the plot of Michael Cera's most recent film. It would be nice to see Clement doing something a little out of his element, rather than his usual "passing a homeless person on your way to a coin star machine" character.
If you can get your hands on a (free) copy of Eagle vs Shark, I would say go for it, but I would encourage you to do so solely for the pleasurable soundtrack.
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