An Eye for Arovision: Jemaine Clement

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service 

This week, I’m covering one half of Aotearoa’s fourth most popular folk-comedy duo—Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords. From indie rom-com, to downright absurdity, to Men in Black 3, this national treasure has a varied and pretty weird filmography. Most of his greatest hits are streaming on Aro, so have a read of my picks and then go get watching at ondemand.arovideo.co.nz!

An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn (2018) — $5

dir. Jim Hosking, UK“i was attracted to 1980s-esq long haired jemaine clement throughout this entire film and im not ashamed” — maveky, Letterboxd

This movie is strange… which you’ll find is a recurring theme in these picks. An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn is so tonally off putting that you can’t not keep watching it. Aubry Plaza is the dissatisfied wife of a deadbeat local coffee chain manager and desperate to meet Beverly Luff Linn. Craig Robinson is Beverly Luff Linn, enigmatic celebrity personality who speaks only in low gruntish-hums and is in a platonic-living-arrangement-relationship-thing with his manager Rodney Von Donkensteiger. And Jemaine, of course, is some sort of hired criminal that develops a Stockholm-like adoration for Plaza. Just your typical love triangle (or hexagon… I’m unsure really). I was pretty dumbfounded watching this. It's just wholly unlike anything I’ve ever seen. 100% recommend. You may not understand it, but it’ll be an enjoyable ride. Jemaine looks great.

People Places Things (2014) — $5

dir. Jim Strouse, USA

“jemaine is so hot that this movie should technically be classified as erotica” — kanye, Letterboxd

This is the least strange of the bunch, but with an equal measure of indie-charm. Here, Jemaine plays a recently-divorced comic artist, university lecturer, and father to two daughters. We watch (a little helplessly) as he figures out how to get them to school on time, withstand an awkward set-up with a student’s mum, and avoid trauma dumping on his unassuming undergrads. His Kiwi accent (which I’ve yet to see him drop for a role) and classic Kiwi Dad demeanor makes for an odd fit in the New York setting, enhancing his character’s aura of general waywardness. The movie’s aesthetic is pretty clearly influenced by 500 Days of Summer, in its illustrated cut-aways and heavy indie-twee-ness, but does enough of its own thing to avoid allegations of blatant rip-off. As a child of divorce with one sister and a certified Kiwi Dad, this hits pretty well for me. Just be aware going in… the female characters are not written well. This is a movie about a semi-depressed artsy Kiwi bloke. Set your expectations accordingly, and you'll have a great time. Again, Jemaine looks great.

Eagle vs Shark (2007) — $5

dir. Taika Waititi, NZ

“my biggest character flaw is that i would still date jemaine clement in this movie” — vakemeupinside, Letterboxd

Ever wanted to see an eagle and a shark get freaky? Yes, the costumes stay on. This is some really heartfelt indie cinema. The name-sake animal costumes are perfect, the dinosaur-themed local cinema is perfect, the failed ugly sweatsuit business is perfect. Set partially in central Wellington, this is somewhat relevant to the Salient reader. I'll bet none of you (myself included) are old enough to feel personally nostalgic for early-2000s Cuba Mall, but it's still pretty cool to look back at. Jemaine’s characters always skew a little (if not a lot) awkward, but this one takes the cake. I felt a real neurodivergent kinship with his poor, insufferable Jarrod (though I’m proud to say I treat women significantly better). You don’t need to know the whole plot, just know this—its about family and grief and unearned, irrational love. Mostly, it's just really funny, well acted, and nice to look act. Despite his terribly unlikable character, Jemaine, of course, still looks great.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Nude Tuesday (2022) — $5

dir. Armagan Ballantyne, NZ“new kink(s) unlocked from jemaine clement playing a naked simlish-speaking sex-guru cult-leader” — parislh43, Letterboxd

Ok so I didn’t have time to watch this (it truly does feel like Week 12 is wringing me by the neck) but this comes very highly recommended by all my film-buff friends. That Letterboxd comment sums up the plot; nudity, rural New Zealand, and a wholly fictitious language. All I’ll add is this: confirmed full frontal… take that as warning or encouragement. 

What We Do in the Shadows (2014) — $5

dir. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, NZ

“as a New Zealander who knows full well we were the first country to give women the vote, this movie is what makes me most proud of our great nation” — caityperrie, Letterboxd

You’re reading this, so you’re in Aotearoa, so you probably know about peak NZ comedy What We Do in the Shadows. Jemaine co-wrote and directed this film, and of course looks great starring in it… a vampire heart-throb truly never dies. You can find it on Aro when you're due for your next comfort re-watch.