Review of Buddymoon (2016) by Dean B — 04 Jul 2016

A little bon-bon of a comedy, sweet and flavorful as a Moonstruck truffle; it's not re-inventing the wheel, but it more than satisfies on its modest terms. David Giuntoli very generously plays the "straight man," an actor whose bride-to-be has just jilted him shortly before their wedding.

In a funk and at loose ends waiting to hear back about a role in a Lewis and Clark project, David and his best man Flula (the actors play loose versions of themselves) decide to hike David's honeymoon trail through the Oregon wilderness.

The jokes that ensue range from mildly amusing (David and Flula are repeatedly assumed to be the just-married couple) to offbeat (an odd hiker, a wolf mask brought along for no particular reason) to laugh-out-loud funny (Flula's wedding toast, in a different context, is both touching and deliriously insane).

The low budget means a few plot points aren't quite as organically worked out or developed as they could be (most of David's Lewis and Clark narration, surprisingly, was added in post-production but ties a huge chunk of the movie together handily), and the ending is a little rushed.

Still, there's Borg, who's a whirlwind of comic energy; whether confusing Lewis and Clark with Lois and Clark, recording sounds for his music project, or emitting almost relentless brisk cheer at all times, Borg's comic turn keeps the movie fizzy and fun.

The absolutely stunning Oregon scenery (you'd never know this was a bare-bones low budget movie based on how it looks) is big gobs of buttercream frosting on the cupcake.