Eagle vs. Shark

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Eagle Vs. Shark is a 2007 dramatic-romantic-comedy starring Jemaine Clement and Loren Horsley. It is the first feature-length film directed by Taika Waititi, and received accolades at the Sundance Film Festival.

Lily (Horsley) is a painfully awkward young woman working in a fast-food restaurant with a crush on a regular customer, Jarrod.

Jarrod (Clement) is an equally awkward, videogame-obsessed nerd with virtually no redeeming qualities.

Things heat up when Lily shows up uninvited to a "dress as your favorite animal" party hosted by Jarrod and wows him with her savant-like videogame skills. Later, Jarrod confesses that he has to return to his hometown in order to get revenge on his high school nemesis, Eric Elisi (who is Samoan). Lily, smitten, tags along and meets Jarrod's dysfunctional extended family and other assorted inhabitants of the town. Everything falls apart from there.

Tropes used in Eagle vs. Shark include:

• Art Shift: The claymation sequences with the apples.
• Brooding Boy Gentle Girl: Jarrod and Lily respectively.
• Burger Fool: Lily's employment at "Meaty Boy", of the more-depressing, non-teenager variety.
• Creator Cameo: Director Taika Waititi as Gordon.
• Cryptically Unhelpful Answer:

It's revealed that Eric Elisi is now paralyzed Jarrod: Why didn't you tell me? Mason: I did kind of. Jarrod: No, you didn't! Mason: On the phone before I came here you said, "When I'm finished with him he won't be able to walk.", and then I laughed. Jarrod: Is that what you meant? Mason: Yeah.

• Do You Want to Copulate: Rare human example of this trope, owing to Jarrod's complete lack of social skills.
• Dysfunction Junction: Jarrod's entire family.
• Fictional Counterpart: "Fight Man" to Mortal Kombat.
• G-Rated Sex: There's one sex scene in this (R-rated) movie, and it's not explicit at all.
• Happier Home Movie: Of Gordon winning a race.
• Implausible Deniability: Mason's computer has a porn "virus".
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Jarrod.
• It's Not You, It's My Enemy: Jarrod gives this reason for breaking up with Lily they get back together eventually.
• No Social Skills: Jarrod.
• Parental Favoritism: Jarrod's father towards Gordon who has been dead for an unspecified amount of time.
• Revenge Before Reason: The reason (or rather lack thereof) for Jarrod's "mission". So much so that He still fights the wheelchair-bound Eric Elisi. And loses.
• Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: Of the apologetic variety.
• Shrinking Violet: Lily.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: The big fight scene is scored by a light ukulele tune.
• Versus Title: Refers to the two main characters' favorite animals.
• What the Fu Are You Doing: Jarrod's training/fight technique.