AllMovie

New Zealand-born comic Jemaine Clement represents one-half of the "digi-folk parody" team Flight of the Conchords, opposite Bret McKenzie. From the early '90s onward, the multi-hyphenate Clement racked up credits as an actor, screenwriter, TV-show creator, and executive producer, with a strong genre emphasis on eccentric comedies. Clement began in 2002 by scripting and acting in the martial arts comedy Tongan Ninja -- the saga of the world's most powerful ninja, who must travel to the Patio of Death, fight an omnipotent enemy, and rescue the love of his life. Though McKenzie did not participate in that project, he and Clement teamed up in 2007 for the quirky HBO series Flight of the Conchords, a comedy woven around the theme of culture clash, following the pair's wacky adventures as a band trying to make it in New York City. Clement then could be seen solo again, with an acting role as Jarrod in Taika Waititi's deadpan absurdist comedy Eagle vs. Shark (2007). In 2009 he played an obnoxious author in the comedy Gentleman Broncos. He lent his vocal talents to the 2010 animated comedy Despicable Me, and worked again with Steve Carell in the American remake of Dinner with Schmucks. He returned to animated films with 2011's Rio and in 2012 he stepped into the third film in the successful Men in Black franchise.