The Baltimorons, now available in select theaters and helmed by the well-known Jay Duplass, is a film that took a completely different direction than I expected, and that is in no way a bad thing.
The film follows a character named Cliff (played by co-writer Michael Strassner) who is just a character who is just going through life not really having a good time. He’s a character who’s in sobriety and he wakes up on Christmas Eve, and as it’s already going badly, he gets this dental emergency. He has to go out and find a dentist and that’s where he meets Didi (Liz Larsen), who is an older woman who just happens to be a dentist. They formed a weird relationship with each other, just on Christmas Eve going around Baltimore and having these random experiences happen to them. And in the process of doing that, they’re forced to open up.
They open up about their lives and they start telling their story back and forth to each other in a way that’s at times cringe worthy for the things that they’re talking about, but they’re also trying to put this comedic veneer over it. I will say I did chuckle here and there and then kind of feel a little guilty afterwards. I’m sure that was the goal here, too.
The film stars Michael Strassner, Liz Larsen, and Olivia Luccardi. The entire cast is just great. But let’s be honest, the standout of the entire film is Olivia Luccardi, who plays Cliff’s fiancée Brittany. I was just like, “Who is she? Who is this actress?” She really brings something to a role that could have been very one-note. The entire cast is very good.
The screenplay and story are genuinely very good. I did feel at times that the pacing was a little off, but overall, this one pleasantly surprised me. This is not one of those films where you’re going to sit down and watch it and then go, “Oh my God, gotcha moments.” It’s just got a lot of heart. It’s just got a lot of wisdom, and it’s just sprinkled with humor here and there.
The Baltimorons deal with many essential aspects of life. There are many themes that I know you can take away from this film, and there’s something in it that I know you can relate to as well. The main character that Michael Strassner plays is just someone we all know. When I was watching this, I thought of a couple of people in my life where I’m like, “Oh my God, this reminds me of so-and-so.” I think you’re going to feel that, too. I know you know somebody that’s just like this character in your life.
So go watch it. I’m giving it a solid 3 out of 5 stars. I’m giving it that because this is genuine storytelling. We need more of this type of stuff when it comes to filmmaking in my opinion.
