Saturday, January 17, 2009

Sundance 2009: Sex, Guys and Videotape

Everyone who looked at the program guide description for Humpday had the same reaction: “It’s Zack and Zack Make a Porno!”

You could understand the quick take, since the plot summary described how two decidedly straight best friends – happily married Ben (mumblecore director Mark Duplass) and bohemian would-be artist Andrew (The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard) – decide to enter an amateur porn contest by making a movie of them having sex … with each other! But the real touchstones are quite different from Kevin Smith’s recent comedy. Think sex, lies and videotape (a long-absent friend arrives to stir up a couple’s ideas of their sexual relationship) crossed with Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy (a long-absent friend arrives to get his domesticated pal thinking outside the domestic box).

And think very, very funny. Writer/director Lynn Shelton captures plenty of squirmingly perfect moments, taking generally-not-funny “gay panic” scenarios and employing them in the service of something fresh and witty about the ridiculous things we can do in order to prove something to ourselves. There’s already an early contender for the festival’s must-see winner – and for a change, it’s not just because it’s “edgy.” (Scott Renshaw)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.