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Home Subscribe About Us Features News Album Reviews Movie Reviews Past Movies Movie Resources Concert Reviews Book Reviews Top 10 Contact Us	Humpday Stars: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore and Lynn Shelton Director/Scriptwriter/Actor: Lynn Shelton Magnolia Films Rating: Definite R for language and Sexuality. This is an Adult Film. Running Length: 95 minutes Actor/Scriptwriter/Director Lynn Shelton has come up with quite an idea for a movie. The plot centers on a group of friends who want to do a video as entry into an underground film festival called “Hump Fest.” In other words, as much as you can get away with. On one side of the coin there is gratuitous language, some nudity and situations that strongly suggest soft porn. On the other side, there is a friendship here that has endured, but still reveals something new to each person, and I thought Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard did that well. The story begins with Mark married to Anna (Alycia Delmore) and they are planning on starting a family. Virtually in the middle of the night, there is a knock at the door and here comes Mark’s friend from college, Ben (Joshua Leonard), a free spirit who “just happens to be in town and you said to come over anytime.” Even though the invitation is years old, kind Mark agrees to put up Ben for one night, and well, you know what happens, the guy moves in. A friendship of four develops, with Monica (Lynn Shelton) joining and there is plenty of alcohol. The group decides to film a movie for Hump Fest, which is what the words imply, as much as you can get away with. No one thinks the guys will actually do it, but they secretly get a video camera, hotel room, some dialogue and are ready for their break for freedom---a porn film. However, along the way, the roles reverse, and Mark becomes the free spirit (irritating his wife) while Ben is satisfied to sit in Alycia’s kitchen and just talk. It is when the guys must meet the film deadline that tensions occur. They have to examine their friendship, the liability of what they have planned and the people who are on the periphery of their friendship. There is way too much self-examinatory dialogue in Humpday. The audience gets the idea without so much wordage and then 90 minutes begins to seem too long for a film. Actually, this would have made a better Short Film. As it stands, Humpday is a showcase for actors Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard as they delve into just what makes a friendship last for years. If you have such a friend and your doorbell rings at 2 a.m., don’t answer. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner