People have been throwing around the term 'Mumblecore' to describe a recent spat of movies by the likes of Lynn Shelton, Kelly Reichart, and the Duplass brothers (one of whom, Mark, acts in this movie) and some throw it around like it's a bad thing. While I've yet to see the bulk of the films as part of this quasi-movement of completely improvised-dialog films (one I have seen, Wendy and Lucy, is terrific), I should point out about a concurrent trend in television. Rest assured, some of the best comedy shows on TV right now- namely The Office and especially Curb Your Enthusiasm- go along on the beat of just having a rough outline, albeit a firm structure, to go with the story, and letting the actors take the scene where it needs to go. And as comedy, it's important that it's funny, and rest assured Humpday is funny as f*** (pun intended), but it also has to have a level of reality that you can just feel right away. Humpday has that, and it's refreshing.
It's a simple premise, though anything but in its execution of human interaction: two old friends, Ben and Andrew, meet again after Andrew's been away with his art-type friends for a while, and one night when Ben is over at Andrew's friends party a sort-of dare is made by Ben, that he and Andrew will do a gay porno together for an upcoming porno movie festival called Humpday. Aside from the fact that the two men are heterosexual, Ben is married to a nice but slightly rigid Anna, who wants to get knocked up sooner rather than later. From there the film is a series of awkward scenes- some more than others, some leading up to it in that cringe-worthy style that, if hooked into the film, will have you laughing and uncomfortable- that leads to that wonderful climax at the hotel room.
There are detractors for both the movement of mumblecore in general and for the film; some critics and audiences find the whole premise, as it plays out, unbelievable. Yet, perhaps that's part of Shelton's point: following these characters in their (ill)logical progression is part of what makes it satirical on the nature of men and relationships and friendship, but importantly as well it's natural-dialog style is perfect for how people would react to the situations.
And for those who really admire improvisational comedy, those awkward little moments and beats taken or things truly surprisingly said, Duplass and Joshua Leonard knock it out of the park. They're perceptive to how really close friends who do love each other- as 'friends' mind you- would react when putting themselves, in a kind of masculine sense of who they are, into this situation. On top of this there is also some really good work from Alycia Delmore as Ben's wife, who reveals in maybe the best scene of the film (when she gives her approval with a caveat) how she views Ben's free-will in their marriage.
In short, for me, Humpday is real and raw without losing for a second how to make a scene uproarious. It shares the cringe-comedy of the genius 'Curb' while also eschewing the more trying raunch of Apatow productions or, more recently, The Hangover. And as a bonus, its low-budget and small cast and chamber set-pieces don't give away really that it's all made up dialog and interactions. I'd be interested to see someone's reaction going in on the film cold, knowing only that it's a comedy about two guys planning on having sex together for an amateur porn. At the moment, it's the comedy sleeper of the year, one that will find (or maybe lose) its audience by word of mouth.
It's a simple premise, though anything but in its execution of human interaction: two old friends, Ben and Andrew, meet again after Andrew's been away with his art-type friends for a while, and one night when Ben is over at Andrew's friends party a sort-of dare is made by Ben, that he and Andrew will do a gay porno together for an upcoming porno movie festival called Humpday. Aside from the fact that the two men are heterosexual, Ben is married to a nice but slightly rigid Anna, who wants to get knocked up sooner rather than later. From there the film is a series of awkward scenes- some more than others, some leading up to it in that cringe-worthy style that, if hooked into the film, will have you laughing and uncomfortable- that leads to that wonderful climax at the hotel room.
There are detractors for both the movement of mumblecore in general and for the film; some critics and audiences find the whole premise, as it plays out, unbelievable. Yet, perhaps that's part of Shelton's point: following these characters in their (ill)logical progression is part of what makes it satirical on the nature of men and relationships and friendship, but importantly as well it's natural-dialog style is perfect for how people would react to the situations.
And for those who really admire improvisational comedy, those awkward little moments and beats taken or things truly surprisingly said, Duplass and Joshua Leonard knock it out of the park. They're perceptive to how really close friends who do love each other- as 'friends' mind you- would react when putting themselves, in a kind of masculine sense of who they are, into this situation. On top of this there is also some really good work from Alycia Delmore as Ben's wife, who reveals in maybe the best scene of the film (when she gives her approval with a caveat) how she views Ben's free-will in their marriage.
In short, for me, Humpday is real and raw without losing for a second how to make a scene uproarious. It shares the cringe-comedy of the genius 'Curb' while also eschewing the more trying raunch of Apatow productions or, more recently, The Hangover. And as a bonus, its low-budget and small cast and chamber set-pieces don't give away really that it's all made up dialog and interactions. I'd be interested to see someone's reaction going in on the film cold, knowing only that it's a comedy about two guys planning on having sex together for an amateur porn. At the moment, it's the comedy sleeper of the year, one that will find (or maybe lose) its audience by word of mouth.