Lily (Loren Horsley) is a very lonely young woman who works at Meaty Boy in Wellington, New Zealand. She is yearning for love, and it shows. When Jarrod (Jemaine Clement) comes into the restaurant for the first time, she swoons and smiles at him but he avoids her for another waitress. He next comes into the place to invite a pretty blonde who works there to a party. Lily can't help but notice that he has a mole just above his lips like she does. Perhaps it is a sign that they are destined for each other. Romantics are always looking for some confirmation that they are doing the right thing. Because, in reality, a relationship with a stranger is a leap in the dark. You never know what is going to happen.
Lily takes the invitation to "dress as your favorite animal" party and shows up as a shark. She brings along her brother Damon (Joel Tobeck), a playful cartoonist who is her best friend and only confidant in life. Jarrod, who comes to the party as an eagle, takes note of Lily when she turns out to be a sensational video game player who almost beats him in a match of Fight Man. They go out on a date and have sex. Lily is floating on a cloud of happiness. It doesn't even seem to bother her very much when she is fired from her job. This gives her time to go with Jarrod on a mission back to his hometown. He's never forgotten the pain and humiliation he felt as a young boy when a bully terrorized him. Now he's determined to fight his former tormentor show him what it feels like to be beaten up.
Taika Waititi wrote and directed Eagle vs Shark which has the same oddball zaniness as Napoleon Dynamite. Despite her neediness, Lily never complains and has an amazing capacity to be a caretaker. She makes a good impression on the idiosyncratic members of Jarrod's family, including his nervous father who sits in a wheelchair yet can walk, his sister who is critical of her brother, and the nine-year-old girl who turns out to be Jarrod's daughter. One of the reasons why this selfish young man is so angry, distracted, and alienated from everyone is that he still has mixed feelings about his brother who committed suicide. Jarrod knows that he can never measure up to his father's favorite son. When he breaks off with Lily, she laments but hangs in hoping that her love can work a miracle and soften Jarrod's heart. Despite her oddness, Lily is really endearing.
Special DVD features include deleted scenes with optional commentary; outtakes; a feature commentary with writer/director Taika Waititi and guest; and a Phoenix Foundation music video "Going Fishing."
