Humpday

[Cole Parker]

I'm going to expand this section outside its box, mainly because what I want to ask about doesn't seem to be covered in any of our subsections. And this isn't too far afield. Books, movies, it's all the same, isn't it?

Anyway, now that that wry and duplicitous observation has been made, what I want to do is ask a question. Has anyone seen the recent film Humpday? I read the capsulated blurb about it in the Sunday LA Times and have no idea what it's about from that reading, but it looks like it might be intersting.

I figure someone here, possibly even our resident gurus Pecman or Des, has seen it or knows about it and would care to respond.

C

[The Pecman]

I look on it as bad science fiction. Two schlubby-looking 30-ish straight guys, best friends down on their luck, decide to make a gay porno film to make money at a film festival.

Number one, they ain't anything I'd ever want to look at. Number two, two straight guys are gonna have zero enthusiasm doing something they don't really want to do. Number three, it's contrived at the least, and insulting at the worst. It's really an exercise on how gay relationships make straight people very uncomfortable, while acknowledging that even the straightest of men occasionally have gay thoughts that lurk on the periphery of their thinking. Plus a lot of the script is improv, which in my experience, rarely works.

So I'm not a fan of the concept. I might watch it on home video, but I'd have my finger paused on the eject key. I emphasize that I've seen only the trailer; maybe I'd be pleasantly surprised -- ya never know. But it sounds real shticky to me.

Roger Ebert had this to say about it:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.d.../907229991/1023

and the trailer is here:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/humpday/

[DesDownunder]

The trailer does nothing for me.

I haven't seen the movie, it hasn't been released in Australia yet.

I'd have to say it looks bad enough to be an Australian film, and I will have to hold off and reserve further comments until I see whether or I can stay till the end.

If I do manage to watch it, I will then go on retreat to a gay resort to clear my mind and try to reclaim my fondness for the male form, these two actors(?) will not be featured in that. But I guess this film appears to be made for men I wouldn't want to sleep with anyway.

If they fall in love with each other and realise they want to marry, then it might be worthwhile. I'll wait and see.

[Cole Parker]

Thanks, Pec. I knew I could count on you!

C

PS: I too will pass on the film. Though I doubt it'll be playing in my neighborhood theater!

[The Pecman]

I just worked for six weeks on an indie film about a lesbian couple (played by two very famous straight actresses), and at one point, one of the characters' children asks, "why do you occasionally watch gay porno with guys in it?" One of the ladies answers, "because to us, it's very obvious that most lesbian porno films have straight women in it, and we immediately know that they're just faking it. At least with guys, it's easier to believe they're enjoying being with each other." Or words to that effect.

The whole point of Humpday is to show the discomfort that straight guys -- even close friends -- have when encountering sexual territory. To me, the fact that they make such a big deal out of it is insulting, plus the situation is really just a one-joke film. The other thing is, nobody in the world wants to see these two guys have sex -- straight people, gay people, any people. Put Chace Crawford and Zac Efron in it, people will be lined up around the block (for miles).

You wanna see an interesting indie film about two guys who ultimately have sex, go see Chuck and Buck. This is one of the weirdest, most uncomfortable films I've ever seen, but by god, it's 100% genuine and goes for the jugular. The short description is, two boys are best friends since childhood. One grows up, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman; the other stays in his childhood house, lives with his parents, and stays almost exactly the same, mentally. They meet again when they're about 30, and the childlike guy wants to have sex with his former friend -- just like they used to when they were kids. The guy protests that he's about to be married, that was just a phase, etc. ... and complications ensue. A fascinating film, but one I'd have a very hard time watching twice. Writer/co-star Mike White does an amazing job in the film, and it's clear to me that it was at least partly autobiographical.

On the other hand, it's not a fart joke/gross-out film like Humpday is intended to be. And again, maybe I'm judging the latter unfairly, since I'm reacting only to the reviews and to the preview.

[Cole Parker]

I saw part of Chuck and Buck on HBO, or one of the movie channels, probably one of the independent ones. And yes, it made me so uncomfortable I turned it off! There was just this incredible squeamishness to it, and it became, for me, unbearable.

Ugh. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I need to go take a shower or wrestle the dog or something to get my mind off it.

C

[JamesSavik]

I'm annoyed by the idea that gay men want to see just any old 30-something srt8 guys having sex.

Harry backs and beer bellies- erm... no offense but GET OUT.

[The Pecman]

Amen to that! James gets it.

The filmmakers make the mistake that gay guys will watch anybody have sex, as long as they're male. Uh-uh. Some of us are very picky.

I know a fairly decent-looking gay guy, a longtime friend of mine, who's so picky about who he goes out with, he's gone a year or two without any kind of hook-up. Happily, he settled down about five or six years ago with another guy, and they each have adopted children and have a very nice family in the LA area. So sometimes, true love comes to those who wait.

I agree with Cole that Chuck and Buck is one of the weirdest damned films ever. But there's one good line in the film that made it tolerable. The straight character has been denying anything more than a simple friendship with the gay character, until finally, the gay character (who's been stalking him throughout the film) finally gets the straight character to admit: "I remember everything."

But no question, this is one of the most squeamish, creepy movies ever.