大象传媒

A geeky guy and girl struggle to get it together in Eagle Vs Shark, a Kiwi comedy that invites comparison with Napoleon Dynamite. Jarrod is a gruff, arrogant nerd who returns home to confront the high school bully a decade after he made his life hell. His recent conquest - kind, awkward waitress Lily - comes too, but the path to true love is far from smooth. It's self-consciously quirky but hard to dislike, with laugh-out-loud moments and a refreshingly unappealing hero.

The big joke about Lily and Jarrod is their lack of social skills. She excitedly arrives at his "come dressed as your favourite animal" party: an under-attended geek gathering at which a video game contest is the highlight (hence the title). They met earlier that day in the burger bar. "Did I tell you I got free fries?!" Jarrod asks a friend. Moments like this colour the characters' lives in a subtle, amusing fashion. Less subtle are Lily's monotone drone and twitchy mannerisms, though Jarrod is more convincing. He's one of those brash, deluded nerds who shout their way through conversations: a far cry from the scrubbed-up stutterers of American teen comedies.

"THIS IS ABOUT MISFITS WHO FIT TOGETHER"

Things get a trifle depressing when Jarrod goes back to his home town and thoughtlessly neglects Lily. You're never quite sure that these two are destined to be - but that's kind of the point. This is about misfits who fit together better than they do anywhere else. And the uplifting closing scene - to the tune of Stone Roses' This Is The One - should have you leaving the cinema smiling.

Eagle Vs Shark is out in the UK on 17th August 2007.