Buddymoon (2016) User Reviews

Indie Offers a Change of Pace

[larrys3 · 6/10 · 8 September 2016]

I thought this indie offered a nice change of pace from the usual movie fare of superheroes, crime capers, and heavy dramas, The humor, in my opinion, "won't knock you off your seat" but there are laughs here, some charm, and some wonderful cinematography of the Oregon woods.

David Giuntoli stars as David, who's just been jilted by his fiancé Frankie (Jeanne Syquia) right before their wedding date, and he's holed up in his house feeling quite depressed. Flula Borg co-stars as Flula, who's David's best friend (they're actually friends in real life). Flula convinces David to go on his planned honeymoon hike with him anyway, which will help ease the blues once he's outdoors.

The rapport between the two, who are polar opposites in personality, works well with Flula being wildly gregarious while David is reserved and introspective. The remainder of the movie will track their adventures through the Oregon woods, meeting various characters along the way and playing effective pranks on each other. The film also effectively intersperses segments of the actual journal of explorer William Clark, who in 1805 traversed the same areas in the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Overall, not everything in this movie works but as mentioned it offers a change of pace from the usual fare and for its minimal 1 hr. and 19 min. running time it was a decent watch for me.

Pleasant Buddy-Trip Comedy

[Ziglet_mir · 7/10 · 17 March 2020]

A modern day buddy road-trip feature that finds a man named David (David Giuntoli) breaking off with his soon-to-be-wife and spending his fully paid for and upcoming honeymoon with his best man-German DJ Flula (Flula Borg).

Before the buddymoon commences, we learn that David is in the process of auditioning for the role of Clark (from Lewis and Clark) and is awaiting message he has received the role.

As the two friends go on their buddymoon in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, we get voiceover of David's thoughts as Clark giving us a purposeful contrast between the two friends and the legendary explorers.

The film paces well at 81 minutes and the highlight is certainly Borg as the outrageous and absurd German friend. The chemistry between David and Flula is also great, as David proves a strong straight man to Flula's goofiness. Best scene is the wedding speech. I laughed much harder than I thought I would have.

Buddy Fantastic!

[OldDogNewFlicks · 7/10 · 6 July 2017]

I can't recommend this film enough.

From beginning to end this film brings the laughs and the love. Yes it's silly. Yes it won't appeal to everyone, but if you want to lose yourself for an hour or so and have a couple of giggles along the way, Buddymoon is for you.

Flula is here to brighten your day!

Surprising

[vmadumarov · 7/10 · 21 December 2016]

For me story on which this movie based is extremely unusual. I would never thought about such situation. And even if I think I would never consider that someone could make a movie based on it. But it's quite interesting and humorous story. Of course at first it's sad but as I get it this is not the point of the movie. Very good thing about this movie is it's duration. It's not long compare to most of contemporary movies and this is very good. I personally enjoyed watching Buddymoon. It was never boring. There is very beautiful nature. Good humor. Very good actors. Really very good actor playing. Also very nice song in the end. I'd like to hear it in some club in my current place - Krasnodar, Russia:-) This movie made my mood better. I felt some really positive energy after watching it. It's actually very positive movie despite that the main character David has a wedding canceled. I would recommend this movie.

Refreshingly clean film. Lots of beautiful nature shots.Not insanely funny

[sdavis-30774 · 2 August 2016]

The movie is not violent,thrilling,sex-laced,vulgar or complex. It's not about time warps, zombies or wizards and it's easy to view. However, as it's billed as a comedy, I thought I was in for an evening of laughter.I was pleased with the positives and disappointed with the negatives. Yes, there were some funny scenes which elicited a few laughs but it won't have audiences rolling in the aisles.It's an uplifting film because it communicates decent human values. It demonstrates that there is nothing wrong with men having feelings of friendship with other men.It's not about LGBT values in that respect. Parents should know:there is only one discernible vulgarity in this film,and it's in German so it really doesn't count.No nudity,no violence,only alcohol.Extraordinary for Hollywood these days. Also,if you do not teach tolerance and acceptance of LGBT values to your kids,consider: tolerant,nay,open-armed responses from several characters who misunderstand the sexual orientation and marriage status of the two main characters are offered as 'normal'. For the adults that understand the situation though, it's just comic relief...

Into the ... Forest

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 16 November 2017]

I guess if you decide to go hiking, Fluola is one of the best choices for a partner. Unless you get annoyed by his voice, accents or general chatter (and there is a lot of it going on). But yes this is a buddy comedy (hence the title), about a guy not sure about himself or his next destination/path, so what better thing to do, than go out into the wild? Maybe there are better ideas, but for the purposes of this comedy it was a good setting.

The comedy works because of the German jester. Not all the jokes work, but you can feel that the friendship is there. There has to be some drama, but overall it does feel as real as possible, for a movie of its kind. If you don't mind the setting, than you will be entertained on this road to discovery (oneself)

fun, overall.

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 16 May 2021]

David and Flula play ... David and Flula. When David's bride pulls a no show, Flula drags him on the hike-a-moon through the woods of oregon. Which is ironic, since David is trying to get a role in a Lewis and Clark project. Of course, the usual mis-haps of losing the phones, getting lost, meeting whack-a-doo hikers along the way. It's a little everything... a bit fun, a bit annoying (Flula), a bit predictable. A bit of a cute ending. Going to give this one a seven. I hope they make another one. Did this really happen to them... or someone else? Directed by alex simmons; he's directed eleven films.

Amateurish

[novatone · 2/10 · 8 January 2017]

I payed £3.49 to watch this. So where's the actual film?

There's no substance here at all.

Instead you get thrown straight into a half-baked 'buddy' movie which is basically a string of failed attempts at clichéd moments stolen from other films (better films - by directors who knew what they were doing).

Very quickly it dawns on you that what you're watching is a couple of real-life friends discovering that making a film actually takes more than just a third person holding an HD camera (and a man with an acoustic guitar who knows a few basic chords and some simple fingerpicking to do the obligatory 'indie soundtrack').

It is at this point you realise that the second lead actor is insanely irritating and the film's only been on for the first 5 mins of its 80 minute runtime. Yikes!

Other catastrophic issues with this 'film':

• The 'eccentric' characters they meet along the way are just boring. There's one bloke supposed to be high on mushrooms (oh yeah, haha) and then a bit later there's some campers watching a man playing a guitar. Then there was that group of flutists. Wow, riotous.

• The 'pranks' they play on each other are completely unremarkable: "Hohoho he wrote a note for me pretending to be the girl I fancy". Give me a break.

• The flashbacks go nowhere. At least have something to offer if your going to bother flashing back - otherwise just leave it out and save the viewer some mins.

• The core story isn't at all fleshed out and is basically ignored for most of the movie. This means for the most part the viewer is watching a movie without a plot.

• There's no humour in this film. None. It's not a funny film. It's not a comedy. Why did they call it a comedy?

• The drinking and drug taking scenes were so lame I actually forwarded through one of them.

I keep asking myself why I'm wasting time writing this review. It's because this feature is not a film. If you read about it it's actually a vanity project by the two leads during 10 days they weren't working on other stuff. They went for a forest walk and then realised it needed a plot. It's a glorified home video.

It's well photographed I guess so if you like to not laugh but to look at scenery - and pay to do so - be my guest.

I'm hoping I can stop people from watching this and spend their precious mins on something interesting instead.

I loved it!

[wildsparrow16 · 8/10 · 3 July 2016]

You can't help but feel good watching this movie. I think I had a constant smile on my face. A heartbroken, struggling actor gets dumped by his fiancé and in effort to cheer him up, his best friend decides to take him on the outdoors adventure he had planned with the ex for their honeymoon (hence the title, "Buddymoon"). The chemistry between these two friends is awesome and some of the scenes were hysterical. There were a few serious moments, but all in all, this is a really funny movie and the two leads are incredibly likable. They meet some interesting characters along their way. This movie will be equally enjoyed by both men and women.

Amusing But Not Funny

[meaninglessbark · 5/10 · 25 October 2017]

The premise had potential, the acting is fine, it looks good, but Buddymoon isn't funny and really isn't all that interesting. If you have a good friend you like to joke with a 2 hour car ride through the country will be more enjoyable and funny.

The most interesting part of Buddymoon is the character Flula, a German man who has a humorous, bright personality. But a lot of his lines an malapropisms seem forced which makes the character feel artificial.

If you're sick on the couch and just want to watch something pleasant and not challenging Buddymoon isn't a bad choice. (I kept watching the film mainly because the two main leads were good looking.)

Great indie movie

[HelenBezzo · 10/10 · 2 March 2017]

This is a great movie to watch with your "buddies."

After being dumped by his fiancée before their wedding, David (Grimm's David Giuntoli) and his best man Flula (German DJ Flula Borg) decide to go on the planned hiking honeymoon together and wacky adventures ensue!

David and Flula have great chemistry together and make watching the journey of their friendship on the hike entertaining. I also really loved the stunning scenery of wooded Oregon, it made me want to join their hike!

Not my idea of fun, boring story with zero comedy.

[deloudelouvain · 4/10 · 24 May 2020]

When i watch a comedy I expect to laugh a lot, or at least have some chuckles every now and then. In this case i didn't get any of that, instead I got a bland story that is quite boring to watch with no humor at all. Maybe people thought the German Flula Borg was funny but to me he was just the most annoying character to watch. I laughed zero times, that was easy to count, as the supposed humor in this movie was just inexistant to me. But everybody is entitled to his opinion, if people found this movie funny good for them. I honestly can't find anything positive to write about Buddymoon, maybe the Oregon scenery, but i'd rather watch a good nature documentary than this kind of useless movies.

Buddymoon :(

[mycull-231-122908 · 2/10 · 1 May 2022]

Grimm very Grimm!

Most annoying buddy movie ever made. If these two are best friends in real life, they are a bore to hang with.

I couldn't even finish the movie, so I couldn't spoil the ending even if I wanted to. Besides, the whole movie was spoiled.

Outstanding

[yossarian100 · 8/10 · 11 September 2016]

I laughed through the entire movie.

But the main reason to watch this is Flula Borg. He steals every scene he's in. Just listening to him butcher English is hysterical enough, but the man is naturally funny.

Everything else about the movie is just fine. I enjoyed the photography, and the forest setting was great. The music was better than decent, but speaking of music, make sure you stay through the titles. Flula has a surprise for you.

I really enjoyed this very natural comedy and I think you'll love it as much as I did.

I paid for this???

[DagostinoNYC · 3/10 · 9 June 2021]

Boring.

It's a buddy film that feels like the script was directly lifted from any 3 buddy films and averaged out to below average.

Actors seem to have strong talent but the direction is terrible.

I'm fine having lost the money but I wish I could get a full refund on my time.

Genuine and lighthearted

[Vincent-Doppet · 8/10 · 7 July 2016]

Buddy movies often make the mistake of focusing back to the romance and abandoning the bromance that developed through the journey. When the inevitable resolution came, I was pleased to see this was not one of those movies. The movie kept being interesting due to the interaction between both characters and their encounters. Well paced. Nice locations too, really felt like a good trip. The soundtrack was enjoyable yet the final track, although I really liked the concept, felt out of place.

If anyone played the game "Firewatch", this movie reminded me a little bit of that game. Some elements are weird and you wonder if something strange will happen while enjoying the journey.

Very good movie, would've given a 7,5 though.

Little too much Flula??? No......but yes??????

[jpapanone · 4/10 · 5 June 2022]

Hmmmm... Not a 7...not a 1, 2, 3.

Somewhere between 4 and 6. Not 6...and 5 would probably be too generous.

I guess a 4.

This was pretty rough to watch. I love Flula. Don't really know this other fella.

Was not expecting Flula to play.... Flula. Not a lot of acting here... unless every other time I've seen Flula, he is acting.....exactly like this.

Some of the Flula-isms, I absolutely loved.

Some of them were forced and not natural and didn't work.

The flow of the movie was bad. Not very interesting...and was like an unfinished or un-rewritten. Felt very disjointed.

The whole camp fire with other people did not feel natural at all.

And lot of unecessary...them walking through the woods.

This wasn't a comedy that was trying to deliver laughs... this seemed like something I could do.

I'd probably watch again. Not bc it is good or anything...but just to hear all of the random Flula one liners.

Uhhhhhhh...and that ending...with Frankie??? Eff that noise.

That is not how that interaction should have gone with David or with Flula. Did not care for that ending.

I can't believe how much David Giuntoli reminds me of Bradley Cooper!

[Hellmant · 8/10 · 3 October 2016]

'BUDDYMOON': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An indie comedy about a former child star hiking through the mountains of Oregon, with his best friend; a trek inspired by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The film stars David Giuntoli and Flula Borg, and it was directed by Alex Simmons (in his feature film directorial debut). The script was written by Giuntoli, Borg and Simmons as well; and the trio also co-produced the movie. The film has received a limited theatrical release, in indie theaters, and it's gotten mostly positive reviews from critics. I found it to be pretty funny, and somewhat charming as well.

David (Giuntoli) is a struggling actor, that's never been able to escape the notoriety of a cheesy sitcom he did as a kid. David is about to be married, and he's also preparing for a film role, he hopes to get, as the famous American explorer William Clark. His fiancé, Frankie (Jeanne Syquia), leaves him, just days before their wedding. His best friend, and would-be best man, Flula (Borg), then visits David to cheer him up. Flula convinces David that the two must go on David's honeymoon trip, that he had planned for him and Frankie; a hike through the remote mountains of Oregon, just like Lewis and Clark did.

Being from Oregon myself, I love the visuals in this film; and I also love all of the educational info, on them and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The two lead performances are both fantastic, and I can't believe how much Giuntoli reminds me of Bradley Cooper. Borg is a bit too much, at times, but he's mostly hilarious. I don't know how much of the script was improvised, it seems like a lot, but it is a great idea for a movie as well. The film is a nicely put together little indie flick!

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/BdhMQkH1n2k

Everyone should have a friend like Flula.

[theparent · 8/10 · 9 February 2020]

David gets dumped by his fiancé days before his wedding, but Flula insists he & David go on the honeymoon - a 7-day hike through OR mountains.

Flula quotes: (I like) fast lunches and hard hikes. David, I'm fighting time. In 60 years I'll be dust and molecules. So suck it time.

Lots of nice natural surroundings, with lots of sophomoric humour & ridiculous Flula optimism. Silly, but I liked it. And where did they find those sleeping bags??

Go-to feel good movie!

[biggerleprechaun · 9/10 · 28 June 2018]

I absolutley adore this movie and always watch this movie if I want to relax. Just the beauty of Oregon and its forest is just wonderful and of course Flula and David are an amazing pair! I only gave it 9 stars because I don't like the whole wolf thing on drugs at the end. But all in all great little movie! Great watch!

An Allegorical Journey in the Wilderness

[spamalottamus · 10/10 · 17 June 2023]

We are big Grimm (David Guintoli) fans & love Skip Chaser Randy (Flulah Borg). When our daughter found this movie, we were happy to have two fine actors (plus Claire Coffee, also from Grimm) whom we could watch together. What a pleasant surprise to discover they also co-wrote. We've only watched half, but are loving it. The humor isn't always uproarious, but it's on par for some times this aging man has had with his friends while adventuring through life. It's how life is: sometimes it's laugh out loud, sometimes not. The acting is good enough to engage us & the scenic shots has moments that are spectacular and bring me right back to younger days when backpacking was a larger part of my life. The journey the characters make is an allegorical trek we all make after times of heartbreak. We travel the wilderness of our emotions with our friends, as we dwell quietly in our thoughts, to arrive at a place we weren't sure we'd reach again. I recommend this for people who want something both simple and profound because that simplicity.