''Buddymoon'' (previously known as ''Honey Buddies'') is a 2016 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Alex Simmons; written by Simmons,

Flula Borg Flula Borg (; born 28 March 1982) is a German actor, comedian, musician, DJ, and internet personality who is also known simply as Flula (sometimes stylized as f, u, a) or DJ Flula. He lives in Los Angeles. Borg's acting career includes roles in f ...

, and

David Giuntoli David Giuntoli (born June 18, 1980) is an American actor. He portrayed Det. Nick Burkhardt in the NBC supernatural drama '' Grimm'', and has appeared in films such as '' 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi'' (2016) and '' Buddymoon'' (2016 ...

; and starring Borg and Giuntoli. It is the story of a former child actor (Giuntoli) whose fiancée leaves him days before their wedding. In an effort to cheer him up, his best friend and would-be best man (Borg) convinces him that the two of them should go on the planned honeymoon trip together. ''Buddymoon'' premiered at the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake Cit ...

on January 23, 2016 and received their Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. It also appeared, among other places, at the

Florida Film Festival The Florida Film Festival, produced by Enzian Theater in Maitland, Florida, is an annual international film festival. Overview The Festival includes narrative and documentary features and shorts, animation, midnight movies, and educational forum ...

, where it also won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and it was the opening film for the Ashland (Oregon) Independent Film Festival. In March 2016, worldwide distribution rights to the film were acquired by

Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an independent film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports and Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019, where it f ...

and Orion Pictures. Its theatrical and home video release was on July 1, 2016.

Plot

David is a former child actor with big plans. Not only is he about to audition for a role in a movie about Lewis and Clark, but he is also about to marry his fiancée, Frankie. Unfortunately, Frankie leaves David just a few days before their wedding. In an effort to help David deal with his grief, his best friend Flula suggests that the two men take the trip that David had planned for his honeymoon with Frankie. After some prodding, David reluctantly accepts this idea, and the two men embark on a seven-day hike through the mountains of Oregon. Along the way, David and Flula interact with a variety of quirky characters, but most importantly they strengthen the bond of friendship between them. To prepare for his film audition, David is reading the diary of

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Miss ...

, which describes not only the Lewis and Clark expedition and their adventures along the trail, but also his friendship and interactions with Meriwether Lewis. As they travel, David notices a series of parallels between his literal and metaphorical journey with and the expedition of Lewis and Clark through these same Northwest woods, as well as the friendship between the two men. This creates many points of bonding between David and Flula even as they make their way through one misadventure after another.

Cast

as David *

as Flula *

Claire Coffee Claire Elizabeth Coffee (born April 14, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Adalind Schade in the NBC fantasy drama ''Grimm''. Early life Coffee grew up in Monterey, California. She attended the Santa Catalina School ...

as Polly *Brian T. Finney as The Hiker *Jeanne Syquia as Frankie

Production

''Buddymoon'' was filmed almost entirely (with the exception of a few remaining pick-up shots) over a period of ten days in the summer of 2014 on location in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and the actors worked from a detailed outline rather than a full script. Because the majority of the film revolves around the main characters' trek through the mountains of Oregon, it was filmed primarily outdoors, and only a few scenes take place indoors. The director shot every scene with two cameras using a "dueling singles" technique, and used natural light as much as possible.

References

External links

* *{{Rotten Tomatoes, buddymoon
''Buddymoon'' official website
2016 comedy films American comedy films Films set in Oregon Films shot in Oregon 2010s English-language films 2010s American films