By George & Josh Bate
There’s a time and a place for darker, more serious movies filled with rich sociopolitical commentary. But sometimes, movie goers just need a feel-good movie, a more soothing experience where we get to stay with characters and stories that tug at the heartstrings. That’s exactly what The Baltimorons is, an offbeat and genuinely moving holiday rom-com.
From director and co-writer Jay Duplass (Jeff, Who Lives At Home, Cyrus), The Baltimorons follows Cliff (Michael Strassner), a recently sober former stand-up comedian trying to navigate a new life as a fledgling mortgage broker. After cracking a tooth on Christmas Eve, Cliff lands himself in the emergency care of Didi (Liz Larsen), an older, no-nonsense dentist, an accident that begins a whirlwind 24 hours together as the two embark on unpredictable misadventures and develop a surprising connection.
The Baltimorons plays as a low-key, slice-of-life movie. This isn’t the kind of over-the-top Christmas rom-com that gets too heightened or unrealistic with its humor and story beats. Rather, Duplass ensures that his film maintains an emotional and narrative groundedness throughout. In turn, the characters feel real, their interactions genuine, and the ultimate conclusion of the story proves immensely rewarding.
The film adopts somewhat of an offbeat sensibility, both in humor and story. The latter tracks the developing relationship between an overtly jolly, but secretly struggling, man in his late 30s and a serious older woman troubled by her ex-husband’s recent engagement to a younger woman. The age difference, seldom seen when depicted with an older woman and younger man, makes for a refreshing take on the holiday rom-com and also touchingly shows that intimacy and connection can form in the most unexpected of places. At first, the more furrow-browed Didi finds herself at odds with Cliff, a man unafraid to make awkward comments and push Didi beyond her comfort zone with his requests. Over the course of the film though, Didi finds herself coming alive in Cliff’s presence, while Didi’s presence allows Cliff to be more vulnerable than he’s ever been. Other than the age difference, it’s clearly not a groundbreaking story, but it is handled with such care and earnestness that investment in the characters and their growing bond comes easily.
Cliff and Didi’s relationship grows as the duo find themselves in the middle of one adventure (or misadventure) after another on a whirlwind Christmas Eve. Much like their relationship itself, the film grows into itself over time. What begins as an emergency dentist visit takes all sorts of twists and turns and sees Cliff and Didi come to know one another’s true selves in a variety of odd situations. There’s a certain unpredictability as, just when you think the two are going to part ways forever, something happens to keep them connected and move on to another adventure together. As the adventures continue, details about Cliff and Didi’s backgrounds and struggles are revealed, which eventually lead into a couple of sequences at a house party and makeshift comedy club that are so touching and beautifully performed. The movie never loses its sense of strange humor, but its heart grows from scene-to-scene as layers to Cliff and Didi come to light.
The heart and humor work as well as they do due to pitch-perfect performances and endearing chemistry between leads Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen. If either Strassner or Larsen didn’t fit as these characters, or if their chemistry was off, The Baltimorons would likely have fallen apart before it even really began. Fortunately, this is not the case. Strassner is responsible for almost all of the humor in the film. Some of it plays well, some of it not so much, but, unlike many comedies that get dragged down by misfiring jokes, Duplass’ film perseveres through the odd joke failing to land as it fits in perfectly with Cliff as a character and how real the film feels. Cliff is a man who masks his mental anguish with quirky remarks and awkward humor, which, especially in the face of someone as no-nonsense as Didi, isn’t always going to land well. As such, even when a joke doesn’t generate a chuckle, it serves a purpose in furthering our understanding of Cliff as a character and his usage of humor as a shield against pain. Larsen, meanwhile, brings a powerful subtlety to Didi. More so than Cliff, Didi transforms over the course of the movie as she lets go of her grumpiness and gives herself permission to enjoy life again. This transformation would come across as unrealistic or unearned if it occurred too quickly or not organically, and yet Larsen’s nuanced performance allows this character development to occur so naturally. Together, Strassner and Larsen possess such effortlessly charming and captivating chemistry.
Conversely, in a rare misstep, The Baltimorons takes an oddly amoral stance on infidelity, which may hinder the emotional payoff of the story. On the one hand, the romance is touching in how organically it develops, especially among two unexpecting people. But, on the other hand, the growing romance comes at the expense of another romantic relationship in the film and raises questions about our leads’ moral characters that Duplass seems uninterested in exploring or even addressing.
Finally, The Baltimorons also fits into the neat sub-genre of Christmas movies in a rather subversive way. Unlike other Christmas movies that relies on traditional holiday trappings, Duplass makes a film that works as a Christmas story in spirit rather than aesthetic. There are some occasional Christmas decorations to be found and the odd classic Christmas song here and there, but, for the most part, the film doesn’t really have the Christmas-y vibe one would expect from a Christmas movie. There’s no snow, large stretches without a reference to the holiday, and more that set it apart from the average Christmas flick. In a way, this is reflective of Cliff and Didi’s holiday – the two begin Christmas Eve battling their own demons and struggling to find genuine joy at a time of year when everyone is supposed to be gleeful – it’s Christmas, but it doesn’t feel like Christmas for them. Through the characters’ developing relationship though, The Baltimorons earns its status as a Christmas movie. In the absence of overt Christmas movie tropes and aesthetics, the film captures the hopefulness and intimacy of the holiday in a way few films do.
VERDICT: 8/10
The Baltimorons is an offbeat, genuinely moving Christmas rom-com destined to warm the hearts of viewers. In avoiding going over-the-top with its humor or story as many holiday comedies do, Jay Duplass’ new film maintains an emotional and narrative groundedness as it explores a refreshing romance between an older woman and younger man, anchored by pitch-perfect performances from Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen. The quirky sense of humor works most of the time and, even when jokes fail to land, they still commendably serve a purpose in further developing the characters. Despite adopting a strangely amoral stance on infidelity that casts doubt on the moral characters of the lead characters, The Baltimorons makes for enchanting, touching viewing nonetheless and more than earns its status as a great Christmas movie.