Humpday
Directed by Lynn Shelton
Runtime: 94 min.
I Hate Valentine’s Day
Directed by Nia Vardalos
Runtime: 98 min.
Only amateurism separates the indie sex comedy Humpday from
Hollywood product. Its story of two male BFFs who reunite, still
bluffing and challenging each other like schoolboys, turns into a
gimmick where they agree to do a porn film in which they have sex with
each other. Hollywood’s version of this would at least be slick with
some formulaic humor. But Humpday’s writer-director Lynn Shelton takes this absurd sitcom seriously—that is, humorlessly.
Another
writer-director, the actress Nia Vardalos, studied Hollywood’s methods
for making comedy of authentic relationship complexities—as in her
agreeable films My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Connie and Carla and her new I Hate Valentine’s Day. As
Genevieve, a single woman who’s worked out the dating dilemma to avoid
heartbreak (limiting men to five dates), she tries managing her
insecurities.This may seem familiar (and the film sure plays like TV
sitcom), but Vardalos’ obvious conventions are used with feeling. Love,
confidence and friendship become pertinent to the supporting
characters—including the two gay guys Genevieve employs in her flower
shop.
Vardalos plays cupid like a sitcom Jacques Demy; her emotional
generosity is uncommon in today’s movies. Genevieve’s gay pals,
nicknamed Oops and Uh-oh (Stephen Guarino and Amir Arison), pro vide a humane breadth missing from Humpday’s pseudo-sophisticated homosexual panic. And the reasons behind Genevieve’s love-caution speak to deeper female concerns than Humpday’s pissedoff
wife (Alycia Delmore) who responds to her immature husband’s porn
plans: “There are other sides to me not fed by this [marriage].”
Humpday typifies
the low-level indie film where characters talk out silly ideas they
don’t believe in anyway, just the pop confusion in their heads.There’s
a mumblecore drabness in characters trying to avoid their own banality.
Actors Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard play loud/quiet BFFs well enough
(including a convincing marijuana high), yet their lack of charisma is
not a virtue.Vardalos’ cast, however, draws you into their emotions.
Her only error is not letting co-star John Corbett use his own good
singing voice when serenading Genevieve; embracing Demyesque
movie-musical convention would have transcended rom-com banality.
Indie filmmakers should not underestimate a sense of showbiz. Humpday’s ridiculous
premise of “Two straight dudes bonin’” just sucks—especially after the
wit of Jimmy Kimmel’s popular skit, “I’m Fuckin’ Ben Affleck.” It’s way
late for a quasi-queer movie that doesn’t really test convention. Humpday reflects the inanities of a culture that doesn’t know itself and never saw Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.
