To See or Not to See: Buddymoon

Written by Alex Simmons, David Giuntoli, and Flula Borg, Buddymoon is about two friends and their journey through the woods. Each of the writers pulls double duty with this film: Simmons as director and Giuntoli and Borg as the two lead characters.

Buddymoon begins with David (David Giuntoli), an actor. David has just been dumped by his fiancée. Not only has he been dumped by his fiancée, but he has been left by her right before their wedding day. Flula (Flula Borg), his best friend, decides to cheer him up by going with him on the Lewis and Clark-inspired hiking and camping honeymoon David had booked. In the words of Flula, now they’re “honey buddies”. Cue bro-bonding, dabbling with psychedelic mushrooms, and, yes, a little bit of soul searching.

While on their week-long trip in gorgeously-shot woods of Oregon, David and Flula follow in the footsteps of famed explorers Lewis and Clark. Since David has so recently auditioned for the role of Clark in an upcoming film, there is a voice-over throughout the film of David reading Clark’s journals. They, naturally, very much parallel what is also happening with David and Flula. The voice-overs elevate Buddymoon from just a “bro-comedy” to something a little more sophisticated.

For the most part, the comedy in the film is funny. Goofy, English language-challenged, but lovable Flula tries everything to keep David going and bring him out of his funk. David is a good foil to Flula’s quirky personality–a little bitter, a little mopey, and fairly silent. Together, they have some nice moments of camaraderie and typical “bro” moments (eating mushrooms in the forest, or getting drunk at a checkpoint). Also, the pacing of the film is kept moving as it is broken up into each of the days of their hike.

Despite enjoying the breezy runtime of just under an hour and a half, there were some elements that could have benefited from more time, or a more detailed explanation. The frequent flashbacks to Frankie (Jeanne Syquia), David’s fiancée, could have expressed their shared past a little more (her unhappiness in their relationship is shown only once in a brief fight). Additionally, the soul searching that David partakes in on this expedition is not fully flushed out; it is a bit unbelievable that he would just not care about whether or not he gets the Lewis and Clark role.

Overall, though, Buddymoon is an enjoyable film that will make you want to take your “honey buddy” on an adventure.

★ ★ ½ out of 4

Photo Credit: Gravitas Ventures