I fell asleep at an odd time of the day, halfway through watching the movie Humpday. I woke up and finished it today. It was surprisingly filmed in an indie style with a sophisticated sense of humor. Seeing that the main character Mark Duplass, the star from the FX TV comedy The League, I thought it would be completely slapstick. This movie's plot somehow managed to make an average guy feel comfortable watching two straight men talking about how they would have sex together, in what was essentially a game of gay-porn chicken. I will add a disclaimer that this is my version of what an average guy is. Although I am marrying a mechanic, most of my male friends are gay, artists, or both.
The flow of the movie and the way that sex was handled really reminded me of James Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus (2006). The lazy scenes where the characters open up about art, about sex, and "normal" boundaries of sexuality and touching are crossed were very similar in these films. Both Humpday and Shortbus have reminded me of my early 20s, while going to art school. I would find myself in strange, surreal situations. Building a fort with two lesbians and a gay man, or finding myself in a four-person spooning train in my dining room. I appreciate the way that sex is explored within these contexts. It's graphic but not obscene; not offensive, but maybe just to me?
There was a specific scene in Humpday which was very familiar. The couple is having dinner in a somewhat humble kitchen. The female lead comes home and the male lead is has cooked dinner for her, so that he can break some really shocking news to her. The writing really emphasized talking about the food, drinking wine, and the dialogue is a little awkward, as dialogue is in real life. This was very similar to a few scenes in The Puffy Chair, which also starred Mark Duplass and Kate Aselton (also from The League). (The two are actually married). If you do end up liking our little humping film, I would recommend The Puffy Chair as well. These movies have a remarkable way of capturing the real life complex dynamics of couples. The over-the-top loving, followed by disappointment, or just outright screaming. They actually gave me the "oh god I know that feeling", in a way that's more relatable than say a Kate Hudson chick flick.
**spoiler***
The ending scene shows the two friends in the motel room, attempting to make a porn. They first kiss, which turns out to be absolutely terrible. They enforce the Pretty Woman Rule. Then theys trip to their boxers and hug, comparing it to meeting an old friend, while you were at the beach. They decide to redress, and undress. They get in bed and talk about how there is basically no way this is going to happen. Previously, they did not know why they wanted to do it. They realize that they wanted to see if they actually could. Duplass' character realizes it's the thing he wants to do least in the world. His friend, the drifter, played by Joshua Leonard, realizes that he wanted to do it because this would be the first thing he has ever finished.
I found myself laughing out loud alone, while I watched this final scene. It turns out that the two actually made a terrific movie, exploring their intentions and desires. The final scene just shows Leonard's character rewatching the tape on the Sony camera and laughing. It was really the perfect place to stop, and left me very satisfied with the movie.
I must also tell you that I may have a few days of vacation from this blog. I admit I have been lying about Allan being my husband. He won't be my husband for another three days. Planning a courthouse marriage, sure does take it out of you.... whew. Our weekend honeymoon is a planned Rocky marathon, because we met by planning to watch it together on our first date. So you can look forward to some good ole Rocky talk later.
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