‘The Baltimorons’ Trailer
The trailer for Jay Duplass’ Christmas Rom-Com ‘The Baltimorons’, starring Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen. In selected theaters.
We all urgently need a feel-good escape, especially after the horrible in recent weeks that our country has endured. Going to the film used to be that goal. They still do that, but perhaps to a lesser extent the “feel -good” part.
And if you want to jump over Halloween, Thanksgiving and everything pumpkin herb and go directly to the holidays, search no further than IFC’s Christmas ROM-Com, “The Baltimorons.”
It starts on Christmas Eve with sweet loser Cliff Cashen (Michael Strassner), a failed sketch strip and a recovering alcoholic who tries to strive for a so -called “normal” life. That means finding work as a mortgage broker (if he takes the exam) and setting up with his fiancé, Brittany (Olivia Luccardi). Brittany puts her very best cliff on the right and narrow, as he is encouraged by an old comic buddy of him to perform at a Christmas Eve show, something that Brittany is absolutely forbids because comedy and alcohol are completely interwoven with him.
A freak accident with a loose brick in Brittany’s house results in a dental emergency situation for disaster-rinse cliff. Out of desperation, he drives to the only dentist in Baltimore who answers his call. To help is Didi (Liz Larsen), a no-nonsense workaholic separation that is a bit rough on the edges.
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Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen in Jay Duplass’ ‘The Baltimorons’. (Thanks to Jon Beggel. An independent film company Release)
Cliff slowly displays Didi’s tough outside while in the chair between his Goofy One-Liners and his exaggerated fear of needles. He also demonstrates her with compliments, but she thinks it is talking about nitrogen oxide.
Although it is a strange combination, life seems to bring them together. Cliff is told by Brittany that there is no more food at the dining table, so he has to pick up something (he wonders why they couldn’t just make him a plate – indeed a good question). And moreover his car is dragged. In the meantime, Didi’s Christmas Eve plans are being demolished after her daughter calls to say that Dad (Didi’s Ex) and his much younger girlfriend had tied the knot earlier in the day and threw a spontaneous reception in their house.
So that means that Didi will have to wait to see her daughter and granddaughter until Christmas Day. Out of kindness, Didi offers to bring Cliff to the seized party. And knowing that she has no plans because he is listening to her conversation, Cliff insists that they get something to eat. Deep inside, they both know that nobody should be alone on Christmas Eve.
In the beginning Didi is skeptical. Why does a young, bustling man like Cliff want to spend time with a crotchety grandma like her? Cliff’s good nature eventually calms her nerves. And in the course of the night, which brings them everywhere in Baltimore, they encourage each other to face their personal obstacles – from Didi who crashes her Ex’s party to Cliff who gives a new chance.
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Liz Larsen in Jay Duplass’ ‘The Baltimorons’. (Thanks to Jon Beggel. An independent film company Release)
Although the age dynamics between Cliff and Didi are not Harold and Maude, it may be something that the average viewer can struggle to wrap his mind to wrap. Nevertheless, Strassner and Larsen’s performance and the chemistry between the two work.
Larsen starts like a small pit bull with lots of sass to go around, but in the end her vulnerabilities glide through the cracks. She gives a moving performance, although the film is really her co-star.
Strassner, who co-wrote the film, seems like the semi-autobiographical cliff, a teddy bear of a man who balances the battle for his personal demons with his cheesy jokes that Didi finally smile. He is really as sweet as his candied sweet potatoes, he insists that Didi is trying in the car. Strassner’s lively, innocent sense of humor is something we have not seen since John Candy.
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Michael Strassner in Jay Duplass’ ‘The Baltimorons’. (Thanks to Jon Beggel. An independent film company Release)
It has been more than a decade since writer/director Jay Duplass made something for the big screen and spent most of that time on various TV projects. “The Baltimorons” is like a kind of return home for him. After all, Indie -Comedies are how he and his brother/creative partner Mark Duplass (credited as executive producer) have made names for himself. Unlike their earlier films such as “Cyrus” and “Jeff, who lives at home”, “The Baltimorons” has no big actors. It benefits from that. Cliff and Didi feel like real people, something that may not have translated if the Leads Seth Rogen and Julia Louis-Dreyfus were.
Cliff and Didi, total strangers in the beginning, start an emotional adventure that follows the golden rule of improvisation comedy: “Yes, and.” As Cliff explains to Didi during the show, this means that the moment is, regardless of where it leads. And sometimes you land exactly where you should be – even if you have not planned it.
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Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen in Jay Duplass’ ‘The Baltimorons’. (Thanks to Jon Beggel. An independent film company Release)
The verdict:
“The Baltimorons” is a charming, crowds-pleasant ROM-Com that can brighten up your selection of Go-Tos Christmas films. Strassner and Larsen let you root from start to finish, making this film worth watching. And if you miss it in theaters, it can later be a solid streamer under a cozy blanket.
★★★ – See it
“The Baltimorons” is assessed r for language. Duration: 1 hour, 39 minutes. Now in selected theaters.
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