CineVegas Review: ‘Humpday’

What would you do to prove the strength of your friendship with someone? How far would you go? OK, now what is the most extreme thing you would do with a friend of the same sex to show how much they mean to you? Sure, ‘Humpday’ is a comedy, but the film is just as much a playful story of two guys who are the best of friends, who made a promise to each other and find that keeping that promise may prove more difficult than they had imagined.

Director Lynn Shelton, who also plays the role of the bi-sexual artsy friend Monica, has created another entry into the fresh new genre of dramedy known by those in the know as “mumblecore” and it is a delightful success. The film stars Mark Duplas (The Puffy Chair) and Josh Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) as two old college buddies who are suddenly reunited when Andrew (Leonard) shows up unannounced at 2am for a visit with Ben (Duplas) at his home in the suburbs.

Having traveled the world and experienced all kinds of things, Andrew has become the open-minded art-loving free-spirited type, while Ben has gotten married with a good job and a nice house in the burbs. Surprised, but happy to see Andrew, Ben and his reluctantly understanding wife Anna (Alycia Delmore) welcome Andrew into their home as the two friends quickly begin catching up on old times and reminiscing about the past.

The following night, Andrew invites Ben and Alycia over to Monica’s place for an all-out Dionysus party. Ben agrees to stop by to put in some face time, despite Anna’s prior plans to make them dinner and get to know Andrew better. What ensues is an orgy of alcohol and marijuana that leads Ben to stay for hours while Anna waits for him to return home. The catalyst for both the comedy and drama of ‘Humpday’ occurs with an idea that Ben comes up with after they learn from Monica about an erotic video art fest called HumpFest.

Uninhibited and high as a kite on the hookah, Ben suggests that the only way this would be worthwhile would be to come up with an idea that has never been done, otherwise it’s just more typical porn. His idea is for him and Andrew to have sex with each other on film as two straight guys depicting the depth of their friendship. What seems to be a brilliant and artistically worthy concept turns into a dilemma for the two friends the next morning as they realize the implications of what they have set in motion.

Ben must now attempt to convey and gain Anna’s approval and acceptance of this bizarre project, but the overwhelmingly difficult task at hand is for Ben and Andrew to overcome the strain the next 24 hours will put on their friendship. Initially touched upon as a mistake, Ben abruptly reinterprets their agreement as both a crucial symbol of their friendship and as a way to prove his marriage and current life has not completely destroyed the more adventurous and open-minded side of himself that he sees in Andrew.

On the flip side, Andrew appears to be more conflicted with the proposition than Ben as he begins to question his own true self and whether the person he is being is completely false to the person he actually is. Neither of the two friends will back down, fearing that if they do it will tarnish the trust they have with each other and damage their friendship. In the face of pride, Ben and Andrew put aside any beneficial sense of humility and agree to uphold their promise to follow through with this project.

From here, ‘Humpday’ truly makes it’s mark as the real impact of the story takes place during Ben and Andrew’s time together in the hotel room rented with the purpose of filming themselves having sex for the sake of art. Perhaps one of the most uncomfortable situations two straight men could possibly put themselves into, the second half of ‘Humpday’ becomes a hilarious but thoughtful meditation on where to draw the line between platonic love and sexual love.

Ben and Andrew must first determine whether or not to even act on this agreement and if so, how to go about making it work, not just for themselves but also as a worthwhile work of art. The film is shot handheld with an understated production value to create the sense of realism and feeling that we’re witnessing these two friends experience this awkward scenario in real time, as it happens. The emotions of the story are just as effective as the humor and even the mystery of whether or not these two friends will actually carry out this project plays a prominent role in the overall success of the movie.

‘Humpday’ is an extremely satisfying movie that will make the audience laugh, think and maybe even choke up a bit in spots. Shelton manages to convey the controversial aspect of the story without relying on a shock value approach that would offend many viewers, but also manages to highlight the touching and poignant side of the story as well with the help of great performances from Duplas and Leonard that are grounded in reality, despite being greatly improvised. Alycia Delmore also delivers an outstanding performance, who portrays the extremely complex and unbearable emotions of what Anna must endure at the mercy of Ben and Andrew with exacting and powerful clarity.

I highly recommend seeing ‘Humpday’ for the important work of cinematic art that it is, not just the comedy that it offers on the surface. Realizing the subject matter will likely, and undeservedly, turn some people off, I ask that any reservations regarding the content be put aside and assure the only reasonable offense to be taken from ‘Humpday’ would require a distaste for meaningful storytelling about the true nature of friendship.