Why you really, really should see Humpday.

I’ve been meaning to write about the new film out by writer/director Lynn Shelton ever since I saw it a few weeks ago. Humpday premiered at Sundance where it received rave reviews. I skipped it while I was at the festival because I was put off by the “bromance” descriptor attached to the film. Humpday is a lot of things but it is not your typical dick and fart joke comedy for dudes, by dudes. It’s a smart and honest film that addresses how men and women are affected by sexual and marital expectations. There are plenty of lines to make you laugh until you cry but make no mistake: Humpday is a film with a dense message… several dense messages actually.
The synopsis provided by the filmmaker is this:

It’s been a decade since Ben and Andrew were the bad boys of their college campus. Ben has settled down and found a job, wife, and home. Andrew took the alternate route as a vagabond artist, skipping the globe from Chiapas to Cambodia. When Andrew shows up unannounced on Ben’s doorstep, they easily fall back into their old dynamic of macho one-upmanship.

Late into the night at a wild party, the two find themselves locked in a mutual dare: to enter an amateur porn contest together. But what kind of boundary-breaking, envelope pushing porn can two straight dudes make? After the booze and "big talk" run out, only one idea remains—they will have sex together…on camera. It’s not gay; it’s beyond gay. It’s not porn; it’s art. But how exactly will it work? And more importantly, who will tell Anna, Ben’s wife?

The amateur porn contest they dare each other to enter is Humpfest, which is sponsored by The Stranger. 

There are so many great moments in Humpday . I especially loved Anna’s character.  Anna and Andrew don’t initially hit it off (not just because Andrew wants to have sex on film with her husband). Anna spends a lot of time trying to convince Andrew that she isn’t “a square” because she has a husband and a home. Interestingly enough, it’s slowly revealed that despite his supposedly “free” lifestyle, Andrew may actually be more of a square than Anna.

I found Ben to be perhaps the least likeable character in the movie (although I don’t think Shelton is particularly concerned with likability). Ben isn’t initially honest with Anna about what sort of film he and Andrew will be making and so Anna finds out from Andrew on accident. After an initial blow up, she tells Ben that he should do it if he feels like he has to. The interesting thing about the dynamic between Ben and Anna is that Ben is surprised when Anna reveals that she needs intellectual and emotional stimulation outside of their marriage. Ben justifies his need to make the film with the exact same reasoning but it never occurs to him that some of Anna’s needs aren’t being fulfilled.

With Anna’s consent, Ben and Andrew rent a hotel room, bring along a camcorder and attempt to make their movie. I won’t say here whether or not they’re actually able to go through with it but there’s a lot of revealing dialogue in the scene. For instance, they both disclose that there’s nothing they’re more afraid of than what they’re about to do.  This is hinted at in an earlier scene, when Andrew, who is about to engage in a threesome with a lesbian couple, practically jumps out of bed after a dildo brushes his hand. He’s so intimidated by the presence of a “rubber cock” that he leaves immediately.

There’s a lot of good stuff here. Humpday is more than just smart and funny. It’s a really honest look at sexuality and how we define it. Maybe it’s not exactly a feminist film but there are certainly feminist elements and it’s definitely worth seeing. Go see it. Hopefully it will leave you with something to think about.