Eagles, Sharks and Napoleons

Impossible to watch this year's "Eagle vs. Shark" without thinking about "Napoleon Dynamite." "ND" introduced us to some funny characters, but it felt like the filmmakers concocted these misfits just so we could laugh at, not with, them.

"Eagle" takes that bizarre brand of moviemaking to the Nth degree. Lily (Loren Horsley) has a big crush on uber-nerd Jarrod (Jemaine Clement), but their relationship is derailed by Jarrod's quest for revenge against his high school bully. It's all about as forced as the smile on an Oscar nominee's face when someone else's name gets called. Horsely would be lovely if only she stopped tugging her face to the side, but she gives Lily an inner strength without which the whole movie would crumble around her.

You'll swear the main players are all touched in the head, given their cloying speech patterns and social disconnect. It reminded me of those awful made-for-TV movies from my childhood, where two mentally challenged people fell in love despite all odds. Those actors would comb their hair badly and button their shirts the wrong way to prove their mental instability.

Still, "Eagle" kept my interest, in part because I wasn't quite sure where this oddball love story would take me. Writer/director Taika Waititi gives us some visually poignant scenes, and the whimsical soundtrack enhances the surreal storytelling.

"Eagle vs. Shark" arrives on DVD shelves Jan. 8, but it still might be lingering at an arts house cinema near you. If you loved "Napoleon Dynamite," this might make you giggle. (Photo: Jemaine Clement and Loren Horsley meet cute in "Eagle Vs. Shark")