Eagle Vs Shark Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Finding love was never so... Awkward.
Opposites. Unattractive.
There's someone for everyone...apparently
Eagle vs Shark is the tale of two socially awkward misfits and the strange ways they try to find love; through revenge on high-school bullies, burgers, and video games.
| Mike King | Burger Staff |
| Tammy Davis | Flight Extra |
| Riley Brophy | Kid #2 |
| Luke Buda | Party Man |
| Jemaine Clement | Jarrod |
| Taika Cohen | Gordon |
| Aaron Cortesi | Duncan |
| David Fane | Eric Elisi |
| Adam Gardiner | Tony |
| Cori Gonzales-Macuer | Mark |
| Craig Hall | Doug Davis |
| Cohen Holloway | Mason |
| Tyrell Samia | Skateboarding Boy |
| Taika Cohen |
7.10 out of 10 (1301 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Dangerous Person, Yup
posted on 26 Aug 2009Greetings again from the darkness. While comparisons to "Napoleon Dynamite" are inevitable, writer/director Taika Cohen/Waititi actually delivers much more depth than the cult classic from Idaho. The multiple story lines involve family relationships, one on ones, self-esteem and self-discovery. Of course it may also be one of the quirkiest films of all time.Of the two leads, Jemaine Clement as Jarrod and Loren Horsley as Lily, Clement's role is much flashier, but Ms. Horsley steals every scene. She is such a delight and a curiosity on screen. Her crooked smile and expressive eyes are exquisitely charming and as a viewer, we immediately embrace her desire to be loved.Most of Mr. Clement's role is gearing up for his big revenge fight against the high school bully. As with most things in his life, he doesn't handle the moment very well, but it does become his moment of awakening.The family relationship issues are complex and handled very realistically as very little is actually said amongst the individuals. Body language speaks much louder than words. Don't miss the director in the flashbacks as Jerrod's "perfect" brother Gordon.
Socially awkward and nerdy.... fun!
posted on 18 Aug 2009I think there is a certain interest for the comedy of social awkwardness required for linking this movie. The story that in itself is not challenging or controverse, is giving it's interesting edge because the whole thing is dispersed with the atmosphere of misunderstanding, social inaptitude, and awkward silences. It is this feature that also made this movie interesting for me. Every scene contains this tension between characters, a lot of the time between the two main characters. But also the rest of the family are each caricatures of people who do not have the social (or physical) ability to make it in society.Of course the comparison with Napoleon Dynamite is inevitable, as is also seen in a lot of comments on Eagle vs Shark. In that sense I see an important difference that puts the portrayed social atmosphere in both films in a different daylight: in Napoleon Dynamite there is a constant relation of the socially awkward people to the 'normal' high school kids, like jocks and all that. In Eagle vs Shark this relation is not really present (perhaps at the end when Jarod fights the jock (again) Eric form high school), so the viewer gets used to this social atmosphere.All in all I think Taika Waititi achieved to portray this non-communicative, twisted atmosphere that is present in the family of Jarod and between Jarod and Lily in a very good way. Sure, there is a different touch to it than in Napoleon Dynamite, and I feel that the latter is portraying this image in a stronger way through the introduction of regular successful persons, but Eagle vs Shark is nevertheless interesting and fun to see.
"I was going to come as a shark but I realized an eagle was slightly better."
posted on 23 Jun 2009"Eagle Vs Shark" is the story of two people considered 'losers' by society and how they might...just might...be right for one another. On one hand you have Jerrod, a twelve-year old boy trapped in a man's body who enjoys making candles, plotting revenge on the school bully that ruined his life and playing the video game 'Fight Man'. On the other hand, you have the fragile Lilly who sings songs about tangerines, lets people walk all over her and dreams about how Jerrod (a regular customer at the fast food restaurant where she works) may one day love her.Creating a quirky, whimsical movie featuring two geeks who are awkward and barely able to function in society is difficult to pull off but New Zealand film maker Taika Watiti manages it. What makes this movie different to many others which focus on similar characters is that "Eagle Vs Shark" never stoops to mocking its characters despite the opportunity to do so. The audience is invited to share in their hopes and defeats, rather than stand back and laugh at their offbeat behaviour. It is a romantic comedy about two characters who are ill-suited to the genre (Lilly wears her shark costume while lying in bed with Jerrod for example).Whilst both leads are magnificent, Loren Horsley is the real find here. With her wide innocent eyes, crooked smile and shy demeanour, she creates a character which you can truly connect with. Jerrod may be a complete jerk and oblivious to everyone around him but you never doubt that Lilly truly loves him. She's the type of girl who fades into the background of any room and Horsley manages to convey her joy and heartbreak in a way that you really want her to have a happy ending. Jermaine Clement as Jerrod is a lot harder to warm to because of his actions (and inactions) throughout the movie but ultimately you come to share Lilly's faith that the two are right for one another.It's hard to avoid the comparisons to "Napoleon Dynamite" when reviewing "Eagle VS Shark". The deadpan deliveries of the characters in both movies is similar and the tone is almost identical. It's safe to assume that if you hated "Napoleon Dynamite" then you're absolutely going to loathe "Eagle VS Shark". Everyone else should give this movie a chance. Like the characters it features, it's not perfect but, like love, it's an uplifting experience.Awkward. Quirky. Wonderful.Recommended.
It was an awesome way to end the Festival!
posted on 21 Jun 2009I thought this film was great! It was one of my favorites of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.Yes Jarrod was a jerk. But he had created the alternate personality to hide the person he had been before he left home. We all have masks we hide behind at times and act like jerks when confronted. It didn't make him a bad person. Just misguided and controlled by the person he wished he had been. Lily is a great heroine! She is humble and full of joy and love. She brings a light to Jarrod's family that is much needed. She doesn't really take his crap for very long. She saw his potential and in an unbitchy and loving way she shows him what an ass he is/has been. I thought it was inspiring and refreshing!
Outrageous and very funny
posted on 09 Jun 2009If you're depressed or feeling blue, this is the movie for you! A story about two nerds falling in love leads to a series of crazy situations. Each one of the characters contains a surprise factor and some of them just are too much! The movie reminds me of "Cashback" in some points but without the stylish soundtrack. This could be considered a typical Sundance movie with a simple script and really good Art Direction ideas on the extreme kitsch side. Sometimes it's possible to feel Douglas Coupland whispering something about the unwanted adult life or Monthy Phiton screaming loud. In the end, a wonderful and creative piece of art!
Not Napoleon Dynamite - Not even close
posted on 09 Jun 2009Just because a movie is quirky (if that is the word) does not earn it the right to be compared to Napoleon Dynamite. The latter is wonderfully bent but Eagle vs. Shark is horribly a mess. Sorry. I'm not saying the filmmakers tried to make a movie like Napoleon Dynamite and failed, they failed to make a good movie and others try to rescue it by comparing it to the the genius of ND.I tried and tried to "get into" the movie but again and again, it made me just turn my head and gag. What a waste of some excellent talent in the actors. None of them are bad but the story and directing of E vs. S was dismal. This was not a good story gone bad it started out as a bad story that could never go good.Save yourself some time and stay away.
Weird, wonderful, charming and funny- i loved this film.
posted on 17 Mar 2009Words can't express how much i loved this film. I absolutely adored it.Set in New Zealand It follows two misunderstood and socially awkward "nerdy" characters (Jarrod and Lily) as they each search for redemption, acceptance, friendship and ultimately love through a wayward journey of hilarious sorts. Seeming completely opposite when we first see them together at Jarrod's animal fancy dress party (where he dresses up as an Eagle and Lily a Shark hence the title of the film), in due course we find out that they do in fact share a lot of similarities, and through issues which vary from up and downs we learn that that they, like everyone, have unresolvable differences which make us what we are, and its the decisions and choices we make that decide who we really are and where we belong in this mad world.Although never mentioned, the two main characters here, like those in similar movie Napaleon Dynamite, show the autistic symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome yet this is not why we care or sympathise with any of them. It's their motivations and their personalities, their heart and soul that we grow to love. I loved the characters the more we i get to know them, Jarrod came across as arrogant and easily unlikeable at the start but during the course of the film, as we understand him better, is much more than that. Lily, who we first thought as simple is again wonderfully multi layered and unpredictably lovable. Ultimately this film is a completely unapologetic and almost satirical study of socially outcast outsiders as they live day to day life with their own problems and troubles, but in the end, as we find out, living it well, and actually better than any of us would have first thought; Loving life despite it's flaws, living it and getting on with it- and i found this to be very inspirational. It also boasts a great script, some truly great comedic moments, superb acting by both main actors as well as some fantastic music.Eagle vs Shark is in a similar vein to Napolean Dynamite, Garden State and Little Miss Sunshine (which i loved) so if you enjoyed those then i can't recommend this movie highly enough! Not only is it one of the best indie films i have ever seen but it has also become one of my favourite films ever. Sweet, funky, and charming to say the least- this is one of those rare movies that come out of nowhere and end up staying with you forever. 9/10
You decide.
posted on 05 Mar 2009Eagle vs. Shark is not another "inspired-by" high school athletic epic but rather a romantic comedy as strange as you will find this year. Actually I had to go back to 1971 with John Cassavetes' Minnie and Moskowitz and Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude to find equivalently eccentric couples meeting the challenges of decidedly unromantic love. Lily (Loren Horsley) is the naïve victim of society's meanness (she loses a job at Meaty Burger, where most of us wouldn't even eat, much less work; Jerrod (Jemaine Clement) is a slacker clerk out of Napoleon Dynamite's class.This New-Zealand funky romance is partly funded by a fellowship from Sundance, not a guarantee of quality but a sign there might be something more that the initial impression that director Taika Waititi is being condescending to these less than brilliant lovers. After a while, I lost my own condescension and warmed to the simplicity of Lily's love for the obtuse and dorky Jerrod, as well as Jerrod's struggle with his feelings for this lovable flake. I also found comfort as I placed the protagonists in the same lineup with eccentric characters out of the imaginations of Bill Forsythe and David Lynch.For example, the socially-clumsy Jarrod asks the introverted Lily if she'd like to have sex; she immediately replies, "Yep." The fleeting act, in which it takes longer to affix the condom than to perform, is charmingly innocent and inept.Most of the family members are either socially unprepared or physically handicapped, a metaphor for the difficulties of social integration for unsophisticated but good-hearted underachievers. The oddball spirit of the film is embodied in the animal-costume party, for which Jarrod hosts as an eagle and Lily arrives as a shark. Thus the title, the endearing characters, and the difficulty deciding if this is an understated farce about the fringes of society or an exaltation of diversity and simplicity. You decide.
Some good stuff with plenty of potential but quirky to the point of annoyance and at the expense of other aspects
posted on 14 Jan 2009Lily works in a fast food rest restaurant and the only thing she looks forward to is the lunchtime visit of Jarrod, who works across in an electronics store and represents all that she dreams of in a man. When he invites her colleague to an animal fancy dress party, Lily goes and impresses Jarrod with her skill on a fighting video game. Having slept together Lily goes with Jarrod to his home town to fight an old high-school bully, however an already awkward relationship becomes even more painful as the various desperate characters interact.It was the presence of Clement that caught my eye here and also a couple of positive reviews from reliable sources about how "wonderfully quirky" this was. Watching it I'm afraid I cannot agree because I actually found it painfully quirky – and I speak as someone who enjoys Conchords, Napoleon Dynamite and many other sources of awkward comedy. So what was my problem here? Well the thing is that, although there are characters here, they are buried deep below so much quirkiness that it is almost possible to find a base or reality on which to build. Some viewers will not struggle with this I am sure but I found the film to be so desperate to be awkward and quirky that the characters were lost to me in the main.It is a real shame because you can see much of interest in the wounded son of Jarrod, the insecure but growing Lily and the relationship that goes only so far but may go further. I wanted the film to do this first and foremost and build the quirks around it but it seems to have worked the other way. Towards the end I felt it did much better and it did get to the point where I cared a bit and I did find it slightly sweet and touching but really this was too little too late for me. Cohen is not without talent and the film does have a great little "indie" feel to it and I did like the animation mixed in but the script doesn't have enough in the way of reality or laughs to carry so many quirks. I was surprised by the latter actually as I was looking for it to amuse me but, aside from a few lines or looks, it mostly failed.Horsley is "too much quirkiness" personified here and her development as a person is too late in the film to make a difference – for most of it she might as well carry a sign as to what she is trying to be. Clement is not much better to be honest as he also gets lost in his quirky character to a degree. He does have more to work with because so much of who he is playing is written on the other characters and this helps as he plays off them, but again it is only really towards the end where I cared for his character. Support is very much "quirky" and in this type of thing the support is where you can build your silly characters to comic effect – but Cohen doesn't do that, either having them be quirky but dull or loading them with dramatic back story.Overall then the film is vaguely engaging but ultimately I found it too rammed full of quirks and awkwardness and not enough in the way of humour or character substance. The potential is there and it is certainly creative but to me it was "offbeat" to the point of painful – like the rebellious teenager who just forces "being difficult" for the sake of it. Fans of the genre may appreciate it as such but it did very little for me and was just a bit of a disappointment.
Loved It!!
posted on 11 Dec 2008Though I am an avid IMDb peruser I rarely feel compelled to comment on most of the movies I see. Not the case with Eagle Vs. Shark. I absolutely loved this film. Though the story is awkward and a bit uncomfortable at times you can't help but fall in love with it. The characters are endearing, the laughs are many and the payoff is worth every moment. It's a hilariously sweet movie with heart. Most definitely worth a watch! Just thinking about it now has me smiling. So good. So good.
why imitate?
posted on 01 Dec 2008Maybe they made this movie in New Zealand before anyone saw Napoleon Dynamite, or had cars or something. But it felt late and boring and you have to wonder why they made it.It was cute but that gets old very fast. You don't know why these characters are so silly and pretty soon you don't care. It had some funny moments from time to time and was never stupid but you get kind of bored. And it really seemed to imitate Napoleon Dynamite.Some of the costumes are funny and I like deadpan humor. There were some scenes that were good that way, but in the end it is not enough.I think there can be more movies from this director but maybe the story will be better, and they will no that you have to make the story bigger.
Eagle vs. Shark: A Review
posted on 29 Aug 2008Let me begin by saying that I have only recently discovered Flight of the Conchords. I was introduced to their television series by a friend and because I enjoyed it I took an interest in where this series originated from. I now understand that Jemaine Clement and Brett McKenzie are a comedy duo which have been together for a number of years. Scrolling through youtube it is apparent that the songs present in the series have existed for a long time and have only recently been put into a sit-com format. Now, this is not a review of FOTC, but a review of Eagle vs. Shark; but an important point is that viewing this movie retrospectively is the best way to go. I think most people would get enjoyment from seeing Jemaine in a 'different' (pinch of salt) role whereas if Eagle vs. Shark is your first exposure to Mr. Clement then you might not enjoy it as much.This movie was exactly my cup of tea. My favourite kind of films are slow, script-driven films with awkward humour and an aesthetic that most major movie goers probably wouldn't enjoy (such as The Royal Tennenbaums, Lost in Translation (which actually did very very well, I do not know how - maybe the Copolla connection), or The Life Aquatic).I have read comments by people saying they couldn't understand the attraction to Jarrod (Clement's character) because he is rather dissatisfied with his life, and clearly places emphasis on unimportant things. However, I disagree. In my opinion, Jarrod is a lonely guy but he's not exactly looking for anything. He has two things in his mind, the first is to get revenge on a high-school bully who, in Jarrod's words, '...ruined my life'. Secondly, he wants to gain his father's approval. Unfortunately for Jarrod, his brother (played by the film's director) was a model son, successfully in a variety of endeavours, notably running (we see Jarrod's father reminiscing to an old tape of Jarrod's brother winning a running championship). Jarrod cannot compete with his brother, but one of the biggest twists, is that Jarrod's brother committed suicide a few years ago, as a result (or at least Jarrod's father has convinced himself) of a pushy parent (his father). Wrecked with guilt, Jarrod's father sits traumatised, unable to relate to a family he feels responsible for breaking. Fortunately for Jarrod's father, Lily (a charming, yet quiet girl) sees something appealing in Jarrod (usually in a film about awkward love, the two lovers are usually thoroughly nice people who lack confidence - however Jarrod is full of it! Believing his is some kind of heroic, fighting machine - probably triggered by his previously undeniable skills at the computer game Fight Man).Without giving everything away, Lily refuses to give up on Jarrod and becomes an inspiration to Jarrod and his family. Jarrod's sister and her husband are the owners of a failed business selling tracksuits who find some financial solitude in Lily who buys most of their products! Secondly, in a charming excerpt Jarrod's father asks Lily to 'take me away from here'. Only through Lily's eyes can the family see that maybe all is not lost, and in the touching finale, Jarrod and Lily, accompanied by his family decide to give it a try. Importantly, the family accompany Lily to the bus station, and they are unsure as to whether Jarrod will be there waiting for her. This represents the idea that Lily is as important, if not more important, than Jarrod to Jarrod's family than Jarrod himself.This film is quiet, reserved and is brought to life by short animated scenes and a brilliant soundtrack which cannot be bought on UK itunes unfortunately! It has been compared to Napoleon Dynamite, but I think it has more to it, I certainly finished watching this film with a sense of accomplishment for the characters, whereas, in my opinion, Napoleon Dynamite was weird for the sake of it.One more point is that Lily is absolutely charming, and if the clips on youtube that i've seen are anything to go by, the New Zealand accent has been replaced by American voice-overs. This is absolutely devastating to the film. Half of Lily's charm is her accent and her delivery of her lines. If American audiences cannot understand the accent, then subtitle it, over-dubbing ruins the whole feel of the film.
Great offbeat film
posted on 21 Aug 2008Sundance Film Festival Grand Prize nominated film Eagle Vs Shark is a romantic comedy with a twist from New Zealand director Taika Cohen. The film tells the story of two socially awkward misfits; Jarrod(Jemaine Clement), a depressed video game store clerk and Lily(Loren Horsley), a quiet fast food waitress as they fall in love and go to Jarrod's home town where he is planning to get revenge on a high school bully. It is hard not to compare Eagle Vs Shark to US indie hit Napoleon Dynamite as both films' main characters have some similar mannerisms and much of the humour is created from that, however this film has a lot more going for it than the indie success story from Idaho. The character of Jarrod is very well acted and generates a lot of big laughs, but it is the excellent performance from Loren Horsley as Lily that truly makes the film. The audience really cares for her and she is what takes a good comedy film and makes it a great film regardless of genre. Eagle Vs Shark is a very funny, well acted and excellently written film and I would urge anybody to see it if they have the chance.
Napoleon Dynamite - funny = not a good movie
posted on 02 Jun 2008I have seen some of the Flight of the Conchords TV episodes, and found Jemaine Clement to be rather hilarious. However, this movie felt like Napoleon Dynamite without the funny. There were the occasional funny parts (the Mortal Kombat spoof game). Maybe I am just sick of this type of humor, but it overall just didn't do anything for me. I tried this movie out mostly because of the IMDb rating, which usually doesn't lead me a stray...but this is the first review that has had a good rating that I most certainly don't agree with. If you have a weird sense of humor give this one a try, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. If this show is ever on TV someday, then it would probably be worth watching.
Okay movie but not very memorable
posted on 21 May 2008I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.Not that bad of a film but I wish it had a better script. Lily is a sweet woman that works at a fast food place. She has a crush on Jarrod, a geek that works at the computer store across from her. She manages to get an invitation to his "Dress as your favorite animal" party and the two hook up. Jarrod convinces Lily to travel with him to his hometown so he can get revenge on the bully that picked on him in school.The movie's funny at times, but I wish there was more of a storyline to it. There were a few nice little gags throughout the film, like all of the funny t-shirts everyone wore or the stop motion animation that appeared a couple of times. Though the set up was nice, it started to turn into the usual story of someone breaking off a relationship and then feeling bad about it and wanting to get back together. I wish more was focused on the history of Jarrod and the bully he wanted to beat up. I also would have liked it if Lily's brother appeared more in the film, he had some of the great comedic qualities that started to disappear from the film after he left.It's an okay movie, but to be honest, I'm writing this review just days after I saw the film, and already I've forgotten some of it. Had it been written better it probably would have been a more memorable film.
Very cute!
posted on 15 May 2008I saw this movie last night for the AFI Dallas Film Festival. I bought the ticket for this one on a whim and boy am I glad I did. I was expecting something quirky silly as the only New Zealand/Australian films I'm really familiar with are Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom. What I saw was a very cute film about two geeky people trying to find happiness and meaning in their life through love.It's very easy to be sympathetic towards Lilly, not only is she funny as an awkward person, but she's actually very sweet and quite beautiful when she stands mesmerized by her love interest, Jarrod. And I swear I think I knew Jarrod in High School! I mean, seriously. He looks and acts very similar to someone I went to school with. So much so, that nearly every time he opened his mouth I had to giggle.The movie had similarities to Napoleon Dynamite in that it starred the same type of awkward social outcasts. But I enjoyed this movie more than ND simply because it focused more on the hope and happiness of Lilly than on angst and anger of Jarrod (who is very similar to the attitude of ND).
Too awkward to watch
posted on 27 Apr 2008The movie is physically difficult to watch, so awkward the characters are. That, of course, is supposed to be the point - a depiction of two complete basket cases finding happiness in each other's company, but i think the makers of the movie went a bit too far. For my liking, at least. While Lily, the female protagonist, is genuinely sweet, the Jarrod guy is a complete asshole (which came as a bit of a surprise, since i quite enjoyed Jemaine Clement's work with The Flight of Conchords, and expected to see more or less the same persona in the movie), and why we should like the idea of these two getting together is beyond my comprehension. The fact that Jarrod gets the girl, rather than gets his ass mightily kicked, is a gross injustice, so i refused to accept the ending as anything approaching sweet and romantic. That said, there are some redeeming features - good supporting performances (in particular Jarrod's father - sorry, i don't know any of the actors by name), some visually striking scenes, such as video game tournament, and nice soundtrack. But the main storyline is crap. It's not a romance between two weirdos (which the reviews led me to believe), it's a romance between a weirdo and a jackass. In which the jackass gets all the perks.
like Napoleon Dynamite, only funny
posted on 21 Apr 2008Since some people are comparing this movie unfavorably with Napoleon Dynamite, I thought I'd post a review from the point of view of someone who thought Napoleon Dynamite was seriously overrated.The two films get compared because both are comedies about the travails of dim-witted people bumbling along.There are a couple of differences between the two films. For one, Eagle vs. Shark was much funnier; there is nothing in Napoleon Dynamite as funny as the scene in which Lily proves her worth at video games.The other notable difference is there is some worth to the final character. Napoleon was a charmless moron. Lily seems similar at first, a plain sad sack girl with an inexplicable crush on somewhat as pathetic as herself yet oblivious to her. But as the movie goes on, Lily proves increasingly likable, and proves to even have a certain emotional resilience.Her crush, Jarrod, played well by one of the Flight of the Concords guys, is pretty much a creep, but the movie does make some attempt to show what's underneath. I wouldn't quite say the characters are three dimensional, but they are less two dimensional than those in Napoleon Dynamite. Say Eagle vs. Shark's characters are (to use a video game term) 2.5D.And while Jarrod is a rather pathetic and unsympathetic character, at least he's not the central focus, which makes Eagle vs. Shark much easier to take than Napoleon Dynamite.By the end the movie even manages to be rather touching, in spite of the bumbling idiocy of the leads. Funny, charming and with an emotional center lacking in Napoleon Dynamite, this is easily the better film.So if you were underwhelmed by Napoleon Dynamite, don't avoid this movie because people keep comparing the two.
Great Script - No Direction
posted on 13 Apr 2008I loved this movie in spite of itself. Great script, great gags, good characters, but it was like it was directed by a wet sock. I love the Loser Genre and they really nailed that it is a character-based and pain-based genre but it had all the directorial panache of a youtube video web log. It was as though the camera was just set up and the director walked away leaving the actors w/o guidance. It walks a thin line of funny and sad but some things, especially the sound mixing, hew way too far towards sad. Partially giving away the game. Anyway, loved it because I love the writing, characters, story, actors, and genre, but penalty of 3 stars for the dismal directing. Edgar Wright could've made this material into Citizen Kane, as it is it is still much better than Napoleon Dynamite.
Why are there no films about nerds directed by nerds?
posted on 26 Aug 2009Saw this at a regular theater in Kansas City, Missouri - surprised that this film would even play there, I made sure to see it just to support the idea of having a wider range of films at this particular multiplex.I can't say I loved it, or "Napoleon Dynamite", it's predecessor. Mostly because I was at least as socially unacceptable as the two lead characters in this film (and probably still am). And neither this director or the director of "Napoleon Dynamite" actually understand these type of people. The directors who were actually huge nerds - like Quentin Tarintino - don't make films about nerds. Instead, they make films about the cool people they wish they were, they people that they imagined they could be from the movies they've seen.And, as typical, they cast a beautiful woman. In order to make her less beautiful, she spends the first third of the film with her face screwed up in various goofy expressions. She could have learned a lot by seeing Todd Solondz "Welcome to the Dollhouse". As Stephen King pointed out in his memorable review of "The Lawnmower Man" - "In Hollywood movies geeks are never really unsightly, they just have bad haircuts".I wish I could have enjoyed this film more.