Summer of Love/Gay July continues! Though this week’s film definitely throws a huge bucket of water on the sparks of romance, we will continue to celebrate lesbians in the movies. And lesbians in general, really.
The Film:
Duck Butter
The Premise:
Having met at a club the day before, 2 women embark on an experiment to spend a solid 24 hours together.
The Ramble:
Naima is an aspiring actress who has just landed a coveted gig in a Duplass brothers film (with Kumail Nanjiani in a brief cameo). Upon her arrival on set, Naima feels immediately out of sync with the other actors and even fails to eat onion rings correctly in the eyes of the directors. When Naima tells Mark and Jay that this isn’t working, they respond rather condescendingly.
Later that night, Naima is going on a first date with a girl at some kind of singer-songwriter lesbian club? (We don’t have these in Ohio.) When Naima’s date goes off with another girl, Naima becomes fascinated by one of the singers, Sergio. Sergio is a young woman who may not be the best singer, but she’s certainly the most passionate. While Naima tries to argue with some older ladies about the bleak world they have left for millennials to inherit, Sergio interrupts with an invitation to dance.
As the evening winds down, Naima goes back to Sergio’s place and meets the roomies and stray dogs. After having sex, Naima jokingly suggests they just keep things as they are for the next 24 hours. Sergio takes her up on this offer only to have Naima “Commitment Issues” McGee back out.
However, after receiving a heads up the next day that she’s being fired from the Duplass brothers film, Naima decides to go along with the plan to spend a solid 24 hours together, sharing absolutely everything. As in leaving the bathroom door open when one has to take a piss. Everything. Oh, and they will have sex once every hour, which just sounds tiring.
As the night goes on, Naima and Sergio have their ups and downs. With Sergio’s encouragement, Naima sends a drunken email to the Duplass brothers, essentially telling them to fuck off. They vent about their mothers, and Sergio rides a bike for the first time. However, Sergio insults Naima’s fondness for song covers and is furious when she learns Naima changed her mind about the 24-hour experiment because she lost her job.
When Sergio’s mother arrives in town, will it bring Naima and Sergio together or tear them apart? What about the suggestion of an orgy or the email response of the Duplass brothers?
The Rating:
2/5 Pink Panther Heads
Good lord, Naima is awful and utterly impossible to get attached to as her character remains so distant throughout the film. Sergio is at least a bit more interesting, but grows tiresome quickly with all of her armchair psychologist advice that seems ripped from the pages of a paperback self-help book. The characters are meant to be complex and layered, but they come across as completely unlikeable.
Worst of all, the film is just straight up boring. The 24 hours Naima and Sergio spend together are the most mundane fucking hours of their lives. Why lounge around and watch each other take a piss when presumably this is what people in long-term relationships have plenty of opportunities for after they’ve been together for a year? I was hoping our leading ladies would at least bury a body together, but I would’ve settled for a road trip or taking a drive to the mall.
Color me surprised when the results of this rather boring experiment are…well, boring.
The Pink Panther Snipes Again 