Those of you hoping for a bit of inter-species violence, and anyone looking forward to a slightly mistitled adaptation of Chris Bachelder’s satirical modern classic Bear V. Shark, are going to find themselves disappointed by Eagle versus Shark – it contains no live eagles, only one shark, and Bachelder’s book doesn’t even get a mention. Anyone looking for a strange, sweet, nerdy and slightly warped romantic comedy, on the other hand, may be pleasantly surprised.

The eagle and shark of the title are in fact Jarrod and Lily, who meet at Jarrod’s ‘dress as your favourite animal’ party, bond over video games, and then have cringe-inducing sex. Lily is desperate to find love, but Jarrad is a man on a mission – he’s training to fight his high-school nemesis, and he just doesn’t have time for romance. That doesn’t stop him allowing Lily to tag along to his home town and meet his bizarre family before he decides to break up with her, ostensibly because he’s too complex for a relationship, but in actuality so he that can make (very clumsy) advances towards his dead brother’s ex-wife.

There are shades of Little Miss Sunshine here, with Jarrod’s dysfunctional family ringing particular bells, but the closest point of comparison – as has frequently been noted elsewhere – is Napoleon Dynamite. Besides the similarities in plot, it shares that particularly uncomfortable brand of humour that leaves you sniggering at things that are more often than not pretty painful. Eagle versus Shark goes further in this direction, though, with fewer out and out laughs and a lot more squirming.

I don’t know how much this was a personal reaction, but there were very few moments where I thought Lily and Jarrad should be together. Lily, (as played by the wonderful Loren Horsley, who deserves to become a lot more famous on the back of this performance), is an entirely adorable character, seemingly lost in the world, who suffers horrible indignities with barely a word of complaint. Jarrad, on the other hand, is socially retarded, self-absorbed, and generally obnoxious. It’s only near the end that he seems at all redeemable, and I spent most of the film wishing desperately that Lily would fall for someone, indeed anyone else. In this sense, Eagle versus Shark is like a less kinky Secretary, and similarly, its burgeoning romance is often on a par with watching someone kicking a puppy. There were points in the first half where the action veered so far towards uncomfortable and away from funny that I seriously considered walking out.

As it turned out, I’m glad I didn’t. Things get better, and there are moments of pure comedic genius, including the eventual fight between Jarrod and his arch-enemy. More to the point, the really excruciating bits pay off with some nice character development, and Lily’s triumphs perhaps ring more true because we’ve watched her be so horribly humiliated earlier on. That kind of unexpected depth in a film that could easily have been merely kooky won me over more than anything, but a magnificent soundtrack certainly helped, as did the inclusion of a bit of stop-motion animation. Eagle versus Shark is definitely worth a look if you’re ready for something a little different, it’s the kind of film that’s easy to fall a little bit in love with – just make sure to wear your special cringing pants.