Two straight men who decided not to have sex with eachother on camera. Had the potential to be so great. I really thought it was a good idea and wanted to see more of the "why are we doing this" unfold. I wonder if "hump fest" got to see a part of it.

the plot sounds interesting, but the movie is snore-core. if it were not for the surprise ending, i would have turned it off half way through. i'm not bummed that i watched it, but on the other hand, i won't be watching it again.

Stopper watching when wife rapes husband for not coming home for dinner

Unexpectedly engaging and moving exploration of friendship and sexuality.

Really good movie from my fave Seattle director Lynn Shelton. Can't believe it took me this long to watch :(

SeraphicWings Review by SeraphicWings ?? 1/2 Philosophically speaking, it grows on the right path. Practically, it deviates widely. Sometimes by taking shortcuts - for example, giving the wife the bar storyline with the sole purpose to progress the plot by providing him with a valid stepping stone towards going through with the video. Sometimes by taking the scenic route - aka, the loooooong, bendy talk that ultimately gets them to put their clothes back on. Still interesting in terms of studying the way we self-steer, thrusting options, making pointed arguments that are often detached from reality, solely because subconsciously we desperately want or don't want to do something, trying to convince the world by first convincing ourselves. Duplass is, as always, an effortless pleasure to watch; and that's about it regarding performances. Mediocre.

I really love mumble core even though I increasingly don't want to, so the naturalistic acting and meandering dialogue was all good and on point. This one focuses on men and I guess it's critiquing masculinity by exposing their spiritual weakness, but this genre is so good at exploring sides of life we don't normally see and I see men making weak decisions all the time. I guess I was disappointed by its choice of focus. Pretty engaging though.

Mumblecore does have some of the most real conversations, interesting obstacles and simply revealing character arcs. This film in particular makes some really interesting choices about what the characters chose in the end, It also naturally showed their motives, moods and shifts in relationships. No commercial film could have thoroughly addressed the psychology of the straight male view on anything, let alone their own sexuality. The film beautifully and carefully builds. All the elements included, though they seem unplanned, really contribute to the meaning of the story. Pitch perfect dialogue and structure. Thorough character arcs.

Paradoxically, I thought the last scene was the most interesting, but it kind of went on too long and had an anticlimactic ending. I get the feeling that this entire film grew out of a late night conversation not dissimilar to the one in the film's party scene. But stretching it into a full-length feature? Meh.

The ending was inevitable from the get-go, yet I thought it was an interesting topic and fun to watch.

Pretty interesting and daring film. Lynn Shelton gets kudos.

Another one that's not for everyone but I thought it was HILARIOUS! And a really twisted joke on male one-upmanship. I also like how sweet the friendship with the two guys is. Fellas, I think you'll laugh harder than I did.

Love the dialogue, love that the conversations seem raw and real, love the individual, off-beat characters.

WHAT A GREAT FILM! Lynn Shelton should be recognized for writing and directing such a great comedy! I think a lot of people don't understand the point of this movie.

Dear Lisa Cohen, Tape to Film Transferer for HUMPDAY, Film might be dead, but independent filmmakers are thriving. Director Lynn Shelton is a perfect example-she shot Humpday with some friends, on low-end professional Panasonic HVX200 cameras, and later made a big splash at film festivals after you performed your (increasingly rare) film transfer. This is an important step for artists. Projecting the film to an audience in a traditional format can elevate low-budget production qualities. And it's this sort of thinking that propels the absorbing comedy Humpday as it follows two straight dudes struggling with the idea of boning each other... (CONT'D) http://www.dearcastandcrew.com/letters/2013/2/1/humpday.html

After watching Your Sisters Sister, also by Lynn Shelton & starring Mark Duplass, I quickly found Humpday.... A little sister to 'Y.S.S'... Brilliantly acted & filmed... Refreshing dialogue & a realism that stands it apart from other movies out there today... Mark Duplass' star is definitely on the rise & will soon shine bright for all the world to see.. I do hope that he returns now and then to these indie, low budget films that have so much more to give the world than your regular box office fodder. The film does end, like 'Y.S.S' at a point which leaves the audience wanting more & with unresolved plot strands... This can be seen as a downside - but upon reflection... Like life... nothing ever concludes properly, not all loose ends are tied up...Life is never in full order!!!

a load of crock imho really.

"Mumblecore" at its best: great naturalistic acting in a profound story about manhood, friendship and growing up.

After a drunken dare two male friends, one of whom is married, agree to shoot a sex scene together. The first scene with Ben and Anna lying in bed is almost perfect exposition. In fact, the entire first act is well-written and strongly acted. The characters' relationships are clearly set up, and the plot unfolds organically. Humpday feels like an improvised film, and though there's a certain verisimilitude to this style, I longed for a control over the language. Also, the plot between Ben and his wife never reaches a real finish. Her third act decision is not the end of the conflict, and I think the film should have found a way to resolve her storyline. Overall, there's a lot of good work in Humpday, a strong but flawed film. Ov

According to the reputable Urban Dictionary, the term Bromance describes "a non-sexual relationship between two men that are unusually close." Off the top of my head, I can think of three films from the last year or so that employ this concept as a main plot point: Pineapple Express, I Love You Man and Superbad. All solid comedies, and all born of an idea that has really only recently started gathering steam. Two straight guys, overcoming conflict together, and in the end being able to say "I love you." It's sweet, and as a guy with a few separate bromances, I'm always a little touched by it. Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton, takes this idea to the (perhaps) logical conclusion, asking a question that, as far as I know, hasn't been asked by a film before: What if two entirely hetero dudes chose to have sex with each other? Ben (Mark Duplass) is a thirty-something on track for the white picket fence, trying to make a baby with his wife Anna (Alycia Delmore). Andrew (Joshua Leonard) has spent the greater part of his life traveling and experiencing and just plain living. As divergent paths as two men could take, yet when Andrew shows up on Ben's doorstep ten years since they last saw each other, their kinship resumes effortlessly. Ben tags along to a party with music-playing, cous-cous-eating, pot-smoking bohemians where, of course, the men end up discussing an upcoming amateur porn festival and what they would do if they were to actually enter the competition. And thus, under the guise of creating something "artsy," the two men decide that heterosexual man sex would undoubtedly win, giving them both the opportunity to really do something. Each other, as it were. Humpday is one of those films where you know what the main conflict is going to be, and you're just waiting for it to get there. Will they have sex or won't they?! It's a bit of a simple jumping off point, and the impetus for the film probably came about under very similar circumstance as it does in the film. Namely, weed and booze, and a bunch of fucked up people lounging on a bed. That said, it actually isn't a bad question to ask. This isn't a story about two men trying to decide if they have feelings for each other, or determine how gay they might be. If anything, you're reassured fairly promptly that these are two pretty straight guys. This is a story about limits and crossing them. The dynamic of Ben and Andrew is one of back and forth bettering, two guys who are competitive about their ability to be competitive. They're two guys who probably followed through on a lot of dares growing up. Inasmuch as neither man can allow himself to back down, we come much closer to answering the penultimate question than you might initially think. But, and this is where I need to insert the obligatory SPOILER ALERT... The men don't go through with it. They can't. Sex isn't an act of will and the technicalities of guy on guy action present their own insurmountable hurdles. Still, in the vast exchange that builds to their hopeful resolution Ben and Andrew analyze in detail the elements that keep them from going through with their plan, and as much as the physical elements aren't in place, it's the intangibles that stop them. This becomes less a question of how and more a question of why. Why are we here in this hotel room? Why have we taken this to such an extreme? To prove something. Not just to prove they can do something the other might not be capable of, not just to be the last to back out. They raised this question to the apex because it represents for both of them the absolute last thing they would ever want to do. Recognizing this makes the challenge seem somehow admirable, somehow seem a grander task than it's roots may suggest. And that's why it's almost sad when they can't follow through. It's a failure. Though it may not be presented as such by the filmmaker, this is what it comes down to. The men fail in their task not because they don't have sex, but because they grasp the significance of their resistance, and still turn away. The message here is bigger than you'd think, which is always a feat for a filmmaker. Somehow though, the disappointment of seeing two men fail where you want them to succeed feels cheap. Cheap because as the viewer you do care. Sometimes it's not enough just to take your audience on a journey. Sometimes you have to make them feel the journey has been worth it.