The advertisements for Humpday may suggest a comedy about gay porn, but do not let that influence your decision to see this film. Writer/director Lynne Shelton will tell you that the “sexy hook” is a red herring, and that the film is about many other things.  Humpday is screamingly funny in places, and it made me squirm with discomfort and laugh at the same time. Part of the funny comes from the serious emotions these likable characters feel. Unlike the immature stock characters in The Hangover, I know people like these guys; their complaints are uncomfortably familiar. Humpday is a small film. It may not change your life, but it is funny, original and real.

Ben (Mark Duplass) and Ann (Alycia Delmore) seem to be a typical young married couple, in love and trying to procreate.  When Andrew, (Joshua Leonard) Ben’s old college buddy, shows up in the middle of the night, both men are forced to question their life choices. Andrew quickly befriends a group of artist types who live in an apartment named Dionysus.  After consuming alcohol and other substances, the talk turns to Humpfest, the amateur porn festival in Seattle.   Substance induced creativity births the idea that two straight guys having sex would be an artistic and daring addition to the festival. When Ben and Andrew are sober, each is willing to let the other out of the deal, but both men insist they want to go through with the film.  The rest of Humpday chronicles the fallout from Ben and Andrew’s idea and explores the answer to the obvious question: why do these straight friends want to have sex with each other on film?

Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard (some may remember him from the Blair Witch Project) give terrific performances and make us care about these characters. They seem like guys who are close friends. While happily married men leading safe lives and artists without conventional jobs living the wild life can be annoying, these guys are not. They are likable friends who think others are judging their life choices; really they are judging themselves.  Duplass uses just the right amount of sincerity and indignation when Ben says to Andrew, “You’re not as Kerouac as you think you are, even though you have the headband, and I am not as white picket fence as you think I am.”  He is both right and wrong. Ben fears his life is too safe and Andrew is afraid that that he will not finish any project, and that he is not wild enough.  One of my favorite scenes in the film belongs to Leonard. Andrew is in the middle of a ménage-a-trois with new friend Monica (filmmaker Lynn Shelton in a delicious performance) and her lesbian lover, when he encounters their dildo. When he fails to convince them to dump the dildo, he leaves their bed hurriedly, apologizing for being boring. We see on Leonard’s face that Andrew is both lonely and unsure.

Much of the humor in this film comes from the posturing of both men. Ben tells Andrew that his relationship with his wife is so deep that the porn project poses no problem.  Of course, this is not true. Alycia Delmore is hilarious in the scenes when Anne finally finds out about the Humpfest, and confronts both Ben and Andrew.  Although Ben and Andrew do not want to have sex with each other, each is afraid to back down. Yet the relationship between these two friends may be the most intimate relationship of their lives. They have been out of touch in recent years, and both miss their previous connection. 

During the Q&A after an advance screening of the film, Shelton explained that she likes to write parts for specific actors. She has a detailed outline of the film, but leaves it to the actors to improvise much of the dialogue.  I found this especially interesting, as the dialogue is very clever and really captures the way people talk. When Andrew and Ben awkwardly try to shoot their sex scene, Andrew concludes, “We may have to impose the Pretty Woman rule here.” “No kissing,” Ben agrees. Shelton also said that she let the actors find the ending themselves. A small crew shot hours of footage of Duplass and Leonard in a hotel room.  No spoilers here, but the final scene is very funny and oddly moving. And for the audience at least, the end of Humpday is very satisfying. 

Humpday.  Directed by Lynn Shelton.  Mark Duplass (Ben), Joshua Leonard (Andrew), Alycia Delmore (Ann) and Lynn Shelton (Monica).  Magnolia Pictures, 2009.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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