Humpday Overcomes Indie Film Fears
“We’re doing this because it scares us more than anything else.”
Ben is married and settling down to domestic life with the possibility of fatherhood on the horizon. Andrew is a traveling loner who lives simply while seeing the world and going wherever he pleases. Ben and Andrew are long-time friends who rarely see each other, but whose friendship is such that it picks right where it left off years before. One night, hours after Ben and his wife Anna pass out from an exhausting day, Andrew shows up. It’s been so long since Ben and Andrew last saw each other that Anna’s never met Andrew. Ben joins Andrew the following night for dinner and while smoking joints and hookahs they come up with an idea for an art project in a local newspaper’s amateur porn festival. The idea: to shoot an art film featuring both heterosexual pals having sex with each other.
Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton, sounds like one of those fringe art house films a la The Brown Bunny that’s built around a single sexually provocative scene. Instead what we’re treated to is a buddy comedy with an indie film aesthetic. The aesthetic comes not only from the extremely cheap budget, but also the fact that most of the film’s dialogue is improvised. What could’ve been very clumsy, disaffecting, and boring ends up being very funny, intriguing, and believable.
It’s all due to the nuanced performances by Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair, Greenberg) and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project, Live from Baghdad). Upon Andrew’s arrival, Ben talks to Andrew about the merits of his station in life. The following day, Andrew tries picking up and having dinner with a random woman at a store (turns out, she’s got a girlfriend and has no interest in his man-parts), trying to experience the one thing Ben has that Andrew hasn’t. Ben and Andrew’s project becomes a challenge for both of them. For Ben it’s an opportunity to prove his masculinity and ability to freely do what he wants despite his marriage; for Andrew it’s to finally accomplish something in his life. And their “Will they? Won’t they?” climatic scene is both comical and played with authenticity to the characters’ friendship.
Alicia Delmore must also be commended as Anna, the befuddled wife of Ben. Her character is so tolerant that she allows Andrew’s unspecified random stay, a jarring knick-knack to stay on her mantle, and gets past a ruined dinner plan – among other things. Delmore does a great job of displaying her discomfort or dismay with a single look, be it a sideways glance or blank gaze. She could’ve been so broad about her reactions, but she isn’t and it really helps sell the moments when Ben seems to be digging himself into a whole lot of trouble with her.
Humpday could’ve been a racy film about sex. It could’ve been about how male friendships can ruin a marriage. It could’ve even been some somber Sean Penn film with Pearl Jam’s ‘Off He Goes’ as its theme. But it isn’t. And it’s far more interesting and amusing as a result. Plus, it is the rare Seattle movie that doesn’t show off its location. I wouldn’t know it was set in Seattle if they hadn’t mentioned The Stranger or outright said they were in Seattle. Humpday is a greatly overlooked indie comedy that everyone should try to find anywhere they can.
Should you see it? Rent
8/10
Humpday is available on DVD now.
Ben is married and settling down to domestic life with the possibility of fatherhood on the horizon. Andrew is a traveling loner who lives simply while seeing the world and going wherever he pleases. Ben and Andrew are long-time friends who rarely see each other, but whose friendship is such that it picks right where it left off years before. One night, hours after Ben and his wife Anna pass out from an exhausting day, Andrew shows up. It’s been so long since Ben and Andrew last saw each other that Anna’s never met Andrew. Ben joins Andrew the following night for dinner and while smoking joints and hookahs they come up with an idea for an art project in a local newspaper’s amateur porn festival. The idea: to shoot an art film featuring both heterosexual pals having sex with each other.
Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton, sounds like one of those fringe art house films a la The Brown Bunny that’s built around a single sexually provocative scene. Instead what we’re treated to is a buddy comedy with an indie film aesthetic. The aesthetic comes not only from the extremely cheap budget, but also the fact that most of the film’s dialogue is improvised. What could’ve been very clumsy, disaffecting, and boring ends up being very funny, intriguing, and believable.
It’s all due to the nuanced performances by Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair, Greenberg) and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project, Live from Baghdad). Upon Andrew’s arrival, Ben talks to Andrew about the merits of his station in life. The following day, Andrew tries picking up and having dinner with a random woman at a store (turns out, she’s got a girlfriend and has no interest in his man-parts), trying to experience the one thing Ben has that Andrew hasn’t. Ben and Andrew’s project becomes a challenge for both of them. For Ben it’s an opportunity to prove his masculinity and ability to freely do what he wants despite his marriage; for Andrew it’s to finally accomplish something in his life. And their “Will they? Won’t they?” climatic scene is both comical and played with authenticity to the characters’ friendship.
Alicia Delmore must also be commended as Anna, the befuddled wife of Ben. Her character is so tolerant that she allows Andrew’s unspecified random stay, a jarring knick-knack to stay on her mantle, and gets past a ruined dinner plan – among other things. Delmore does a great job of displaying her discomfort or dismay with a single look, be it a sideways glance or blank gaze. She could’ve been so broad about her reactions, but she isn’t and it really helps sell the moments when Ben seems to be digging himself into a whole lot of trouble with her.
Humpday could’ve been a racy film about sex. It could’ve been about how male friendships can ruin a marriage. It could’ve even been some somber Sean Penn film with Pearl Jam’s ‘Off He Goes’ as its theme. But it isn’t. And it’s far more interesting and amusing as a result. Plus, it is the rare Seattle movie that doesn’t show off its location. I wouldn’t know it was set in Seattle if they hadn’t mentioned The Stranger or outright said they were in Seattle. Humpday is a greatly overlooked indie comedy that everyone should try to find anywhere they can.
Should you see it? Rent
8/10
Humpday is available on DVD now.