33/365 Humpday

Starring: Mark Duplass, Josh Leonard, Alycia Delmore

Genre: Indie Comedy

Discovery: Watched ‘The Puffy Chair’ by Mark and his brother, Jay.  It was cute & funny so I decided to view this one.

Summary: During a raucous party, Ben’s friend, Andrew, dares him to make an erotic art film together for HumpFest. Ben agrees much to the chagrin of his devoted wife.  Their friendship is put in an interesting position when they undertake this project.

First Glance: What can I say?  I have a soft spot for movies like this considering I worked on quite a few of them when I first started out in the biz.  The movie that’s all about a group of artsy folks making an okey-dokey movie and throwing all in to get it done. Long days, lugging equipment everywhere, and eating scraps.  All that aside, this movie isn’t half bad.  There are some truly genuine moments that I caught myself smirking at the hilarity of it all.  No spoilers, if you do watch this, the end makes it worth sticking through all that comes before.  The two guys have a fantastic buddy chemistry.

Deeper Look: What would it be like if two heterosexual guys (one being married) decided to make an artistic art porn?  I think Lynn Shelton, the writer/director, came up with a very realistic scenario.  It was extremely believable or at least what I imagine that the guys would do.  (Behind the scenes girl says: great costumes because the clothes actually belonged to the actors.  The camera work is kind of bad but can be forgiven because it is indie.  They wanted to be “in the moment”.  They shot the film in 10 days – that is crazy fast.)

What I Took Away from this Movie: Men have cool friendships.

Final Glimpse: Josh Leonard is a hidden gem.  He was my fave in this movie.