Film Review: Buddymoon

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Here’s a clever concept for a comedy. A man, David (David Giuntoli), is dumped by his fiancé a few weeks before his wedding. Seeing in him in a depressed state and realizing the planned honeymoon has yet to be cancelled, his best friend, Flula (Flula Borg), decides to go on the honeymoon with him. Dubbed the buddymoon, the two men embark on a week-long hike through the beautiful wilderness of Oregon. Place your bets on how long until the two get lost.

If you were to bet on the predicaments the buddies were to encounter…well, that’d be a strange think to bet on, but that’s your bizarre vice, not mine. Nevertheless, if you were to take that bet, you’d walk out a wealthy gambler. “Buddymoon” plays out exactly as you’d expect. David is hung up on his ex and his flailing career, Flula tries his exuberant best to cheer him up, the two come to blows at one point, they reconcile, they get lost only to eventually find the lodge (which they could’ve easily driven to), David finds peace, thus we get a happy ending.

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Even the jokes in the film are predictable. It comes as no surprise when the two are mistaken as a couple by the other hitchhikers. Nor does it come as a surprise when the two take mushrooms and go on a psychedelic hike. And of course they encounter a wolf, whilst high no less, and narrowly avoid being devoured in comical fashion.

Flula is exactly how we’d expect him to be. He’s an eccentric and slightly dimwitted soul with a big heart. He never shuts up, which gets on David’s nerves at times. He has the best of intentions, even if they’re wildly inappropriate. For example, there’s the obvious but amusing bit where Flula acts as David’s wingman when they come upon a beautiful hitchhiker. He builds his best friend up by breaking himself down, stating that he may stink, but David smells heavenly; he may be terrible at sexual intercourse, but David is great at it.

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David is also exactly how we’d expect him to be. He’s an effortlessly charming gentleman who’s friends with Flula initially out of pity, but grows to love him due to his kindheartedness. He’s a struggling actor whose only claim to fame is a cheesy sci-fi sitcom involving him playing straight to a robot. This produces a running gag in which he’s always recognized for that role and that role only. This was reminded me of Paul Dano’s character, Jimmy Tree, from Paulo Sorrentino’s “Youth,” right down to being an actor playing opposite to a robot. “Buddymoon” got more laughs out of it though, naturally.

David is up for the lead in a Lewis & Clark biopic, with his narration audition playing overtop of his buddymoon. This is the only unique aspect to the film and it’s a rather tacky one. I see where the duo (who wrote the film together) were going with this, having David’s desperation to discover a new path in his career mirror the path he’s taking on the hike, as well as the one he’s trying to avoid in his personal life. It comes off as too cheeky and on the nose, with it acting more as a distraction from the bonding and self-journey than propping it up. It does generate the film’s funniest joke, however, in which Flula mistakes the explorers for Superman and Lois Lane and shuns Superman for having a slave.

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The characters of David and Flula are what makes the film work. Overall, it’s a middling comedy with the expected beats. It’s made pleasant and engaging thanks to the two leads, who I wouldn’t be surprised adlibbed a lot of their material (and so they should, considering it’s their story). Flula’s unabashed quirkiness is too mirthful to resist. David plays off of him well, getting some laughs out of his perplexing reactions. Director Alex Simmons wisely keeps Flula grounded, never allowing him to go too far over the top.

I do feel some sorrow for Simmons. This is clearly David and Flula’s baby, so much so that they didn’t bother to change their names for the characters. This restrains his direction, never allowing him to put his own stamp on the proceedings. His direction feels more like the camera operator in a found footage film, existing solely to document the chaos. A beautiful chaos, though one that cinematographers Peter Alton & Michael Lockridge could have shot a little more elegantly.

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“Buddymoon” isn’t full of any surprises. It’s very formulaic, to the point it’s somewhat hindered by it. In comparison to another wilderness comedy from this year, “Tex Montana Will Survive!,” it’s too lightweight to compete. The breezy tone is a strength, though, and, while I only laughed hard on occasion, I did have a smirk on my face for the entire eighty minutes.

Final Rating: B-