Review: Humpday

I'd like to think I'm as hetero as the next guy. In fact, in my mind I'm the most masculine dude on the friggin' planet. Hell, every guy thinks that way about themselves in some fashion. But has anybody ever really put that idea to the test? Just how much of a straight, All-American red blooded dude are you? Are you so straight that you could have sex with another guy and it still not be gay somehow? Are you so confident in your hetero-ness that you're not even offended by the notion? Hopefully I'll never be asked to test the limits of my own masculinity like this, but I'm more than happy to watch somebody else struggle with it.

Humpday is the story of two best friends from very different worlds. There's the seemingly straight-laced Ben. Then there's the globetrotting bachelor, Andrew, who shows up one day at Ben's doorstep and turns everything on it's ear. Ben is a happily married man, or so it seems anyway. He and his wife, Anna, are on the verge of starting a family together, but Andrew's arrival clearly sends Ben spiraling back to his old fratboy days and the freedom it provides. Invited by Andrew to a party with what is essentially a sex commune(must look those up when I get the chance), Ben and Andrew get into a drunken discussion about Humpfest, the film festival spotlighting sex in all it's myriad forms. As with most alcohol-enhanced debates of this type, it turns into a stupid game of one-upmanship, culminating in a pledge to make the first porno film starring two straight dudes. Or as Ben so bluntly puts it, "Two straight dudes. Bonin'"

What started as a drunken dare turns into a circus far too big for these two to handle, in particular Ben who has to somehow break the news to his wife. The scene where he first attempts to do so is absolutely hilarious in it's realism. Any guy who's had to break some potentially humiliating news to a woman they care about will understand him completely as he circles the drain before finally giving up on the idea of telling her at all. When she does find out, it throws their entire world off track. Her reaction to this nonsensical idea is the one issue that is played seriously for the most part, which is exactly as it should be. If this were...I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry or some other Hollywood comedy for instance, she'd do something silly like flash her breasts and hope it snaps her husband back into reality. One of the reasons this movie works so well is that the relationship between these characters is feels so natural. Ben and Andrew are a pair of overgrown fratboys at heart, and the dynamic between the two is probably the same as it was when they were in college. Every conversation is an attempt to find out which one of them has the better life; who is the better man; who is the wildest; who has the guts to do anything. I do wish they had spent a bit more time developing Andrew's character. We get some insight into his way of thinking, but it's not nearly as involving as Ben's. Perhaps that's because Ben has a wife who also figures into the equation while Andrew is shacked up with a pair of lesbians looking for a threesome. It doesn't quite go as planned, to say the least.

I can understand why some would be uncomfortable with the subject matter. Maybe it's all those years of watching Oz on HBO but it didn't bother me one bit. There were some couples who left the theatre once the plot became obvious. Some people aren't capable of dealing with gay sex in a fairly straight forward manner like this film does. They prefer it be played up as a farce like in Bruno or in the aforementioned Chuck & Larry. To be clear, there is no actual sex between these dudes on screen. The only bangin' goin' on is a hilarious scene where Ben is unexpectedly mounted like a horse by his wife. To the film's credit, the prospect of sex between these two best friends is a secondary issue and it would've been just as entertaining if the dare was to bungee jump off the Eiffel Tower or something. It's about these two very competitive friends and whether or not their friendship can survive not only their different lifestyles, but their constant need to outdo the other.

Writer/director/co-star Lynn Shelton did a masterful job evoking a sense of realism out of these pretty unknown actors. Although at a few points their inexperience did peek through. She used a form of inprovised dialogue that gave the actors the freedom to ad-lib each scene, even going so far as to let them shoot long uninterrupted sequences which were then edited down. For the most part it works, and the interchanges flow naturally and are often downright hilarious. Shelton also managed to do something I wish more directors would do, which is make the friggin' party scene look like a real party! Most parties I've been to at someone's house don't look like a scene out of House Party. It's a bunch of people sittin' around shootin' the shit while drinking. She uses the handheld cam to it's full potential, as it's best suited for a small slice-of-life film of this nature and not a big budget action romp(hello Michael Mann).

I wouldn't recommend Humpday for everyone. Clearly. But for people interested in seeing something that's as funny as any Apatow film without the benefit of big names, then this is the way to go. If you're worried about the subject matter, chill out. It ain't that damn serious. Just laugh and enjoy the show.

7/10