Henry Saw: Humpday

I did not expect this movie to work so well...


Mumblecore is a film movement that, as of a few days ago, I had completely missed. I basically had never heard of it outside of a few throwaway references in some reviews I've read or listened to. I certainly had never seen a Mumblecore film. According to Wikipedia, Mumblecore is "primarily characterized by ultra-low budget production (often employing digital video cameras), focus on personal relationships between twenty-somethings, improvised scripts, and non-professional actors."

Before Humpday, the only two Mumblecore films I had ever even heard of (and I didn't know they were considered "Mumblecore" at the time) were Hannah Takes the Stairs and Baghead and those barely registered. I only was made fully aware of Humpday because I read a lot of Top Ten lists for 2009 and Humpday was on a lot of trusted critics' list. So I decided, based on these strong endorsements, to seek out my first Mumblecore film and pick up Humpday on DVD.



I'm very happy I did. Some of the critics I read and listened to refused to give a plot summary of Humpday because they wanted the movie completely unspoiled for any new viewers. What drew me to the film, outside of the reviews, was the plot of the film. So I'm going to post what the set-up of the film is...if you don't what to know anything about the movie then stop reading here and go watch the thing.

IMDB's plot description: When Andrew (Joshua Leonard) unexpectedly shows up on Ben's (Mark Duplass) doorstep late one night, the two old college friends immediately fall into their old dynamic of heterosexual one-upmanship. To save Ben from domestication, Andrew invites Ben to a party at a sex-positive commune. Everyone there plans on making erotic art films for the local amateur porn festival and Andrew wants in. They run out of booze and ideas, save for one: Andrew should have sex with Ben, on camera. It's not gay; it's beyond gay. It's not porn; it's an art project. The next day, they find themselves unable to back down from the dare. And there's nothing standing in their way - except Ben's wife Anna (Alycia Delmore), heterosexuality, and certain mechanical questions.

Humpday is first and foremost a comedy. And while the film is filled with awkward moments, which usually make me just squirm rather than laugh, I was always with the film and its characters. The film just nails so many little moments, scenes where you can't believe how true it feels (especially given the absurd situation), that it really sucks you in and keeps you constantly entertained.

Most of the credit has to go to its three principle actors. Leonard and Duplass have strong chemistry, an absolute must for the plot to work, and really capture the character they're playing. Leonard is especially good (even if he looks a little too much like Zach Galifianakis) and is the more natural comic. Leonard's Andrew is a much more compelling, unique, and fully realized character. We actually learn a little less about him than Ben, and Ben is definitely the main character of the film, but I actually think Humpday is really Andrew's story. Leonard's portrayal of the particular kind of friend that Andrew is to Ben felt just right.



Also good is Alycia Delmore as the put-upon Anna. The filmmakers make a great decision in not making Anna the bad guy or the heavy. She's a loving wife who is forced to deal with her husband's hippie best-friend showing up on her doorstep. She has an extended conversation with Andrew where they discuss Ben, and their lives, that was nearly note-perfect in both feeling real and being quite funny.

Humpday was "written" (a lot of it is improvised) and directed by Lynn Shelton who doesn't necessarily impress with her direction, but does a good job having her movie walk a very fine line, and keeping the whole thing grounded. Shelton, and her two leads, shine in the film's final sequence. It takes place in the hotel room where the two guys have decided to film their "art-project". The whole scene is just right, and though you consider other ways it could have gone, I think is basically flawless.



I fully recommend Humpday if you think you can handle the subject matter...it's pretty damn funny and very entertaining. I'm not sure I'm a full convert to the Mumblecore movement (I've since checked out Baghead via Netflix...it really stinks) but Humpday is a movie well worth watching.

Grade: B+

Best Scene: The final sequence in the hotel