Jay Duplass, director and co-writer with lead actor Michael Strassner, gives us a slight film of surprising depth. “The Baltimorons” is set, not surprisingly, in Baltimore. It’s Christmas Eve and Cliff is treading water. Engaged to Brittany, his no-nonsense partner who makes her ground rules very specific, they are to have dinner that night with her family. Proud that he’s just gained his six month badge from AA, he was expecting more from her. She has a further demand. A former stand-up in an improv group, she blames his work with them for his alcoholism. Their shows are in a bar and his lack of success helped him down the path of imbibing too much. Even though his best friend is performing that night, he is not allowed to go.
In the kind of accident that only happens to sad sacks like Cliff, he breaks a tooth. It’s Christmas Eve and only one dentist will answer his call. Didi, whose Christmas Eve plans have been upended by her ex-husband’s spontaneous remarriage, has the time to help. Tough as nails, she, of course, is hiding a heart of gold or at least sympathy for a lost soul. Not too much the worse for wear, Cliff leaves the office only to discover that his car has been impounded and Brittany won’t pick him up. At this point, he and the seemingly unmoved dentist begin a series of adventures that reveal vulnerabilities, sympathies and attractions between her and the younger Cliff. Meanwhile, Brittany, who hasn’t delayed the dinner for him, shows herself to lack empathy and understanding. The relationship is much more one-sided than either thought was true.
Cliff and Didi’s adventures, as likely or unlikely as they may be, scrape away differences and show the unmet needs each has and may find in each other, at least in the short run. Not exactly a May-December romance, it’s more of a May-September episode.
Programmatic, it’s easy to guess what will happen and why. The writing is rather flat, the plot slight, character development somewhat shallow and the acting skims the surface. But stick with it because Michael Strassner, Cliff, and Liz Larsen, Didi, find their footing and add a layer of depth that wasn’t there at the beginning. Strassner, also the co-writer, grows as he locks into the character of Didi. Liz Larsen, Didi, is the reason that the film eventually gains momentum and depth. The moment she appears, her no-nonsense demeanor is waiting to be opened up, just like the plain girl who removes her glasses and lets down her hair and becomes a real beauty. Larsen, a seasoned theater actress, makes her Didi a woman of hopes and fears and dimension. Her very presence ups the interest and skills of those who play opposite.
“The Baltimorons” is a catchy title referring to Cliff’s improv act but is obviously meant to be interpreted in several ways. One hopes that the theatrical release will lead to a streaming platform, its more natural habitat.
Opening September 12 at the Laemmle Monica Film Center and the AMC Century City 15.
