Movie Review 7: Could Have Been Pretentious, But Was Instead FANTASTIC.

Tripp and I watched Humpday a few nights ago. We'd read a review describing it as a campy independent film about two straight male friends deciding to make a gay porn flick together. Interesting, slightly taboo, could be good. Then it arrived, I read the description on the back of the netflix envelope, and I instantly felt deflated: It's actually about two straight male friends who decide to make an art film in which they have sex with each other. Uh oh. In my experience, "art", "independent" and "film" are three words that when used in the same sentence actually spell "pretentious bullshit". (Hell, Waitress was an independent film about an annoying small-town pie creator, and THAT was pretentious bullshit so I could only imagine what this would hold for us.) So, we trudged along not expecting much and oh how we were delightfully surprised. Simply put, this movie rocks! The two friends are both realistically flawed and adorable, and they do a great job accurately portraying the evolution of a friendship from college buds to grown-ups who love and respect each other despite/because of their different paths. The movie also examines the impact this "art project" has on the responsible friend's wife and avoids making her a "Betty Crocker cardboard cutout" (her words). Most important, the movie is fun. It's funny, it's sometimes uncomfortable, and it's thought-provoking. Can't recommend it highly enough. 11ty stars.