“The Baltimorons” is what indie filmmaking is all about.
Or, to be extra correct, what it needs to be all about.
The romance follows a suicidal improv comedian bonding with a distracted divorcee. The leads aren’t historically enticing, the comedian beats arrive with sizable baggage, and there’s no wacky set piece to anchor the story.
What’s left? An endearing story advised with humor, coronary heart and boundless empathy. Extra, please.
Michael Strassner performs Cliff, a former improv comedian making an attempt to make sense of his life. The movie opens along with his suicide try going comically mistaken, however Cliff’s plucky spirit belies that way of thinking.
He appears pleased in his present relationship, however a careless second finds him scrambling for a dentist on Christmas Eve.
Awful timing.
Fortunately, one close by dentist continues to be on the town and is prepared to deal with him. That’s Didi (Liz Larsen), who opens her workplace lengthy sufficient to take care of Cliff’s disaster. It’s the beginning of an uncommon 24 hours for the unlikely duo, one full of towed automobiles, unctuous exes and an opportunity to reconnect with Cliff’s improv days.
Cliff isn’t trying to escape a troubled relationship. His fiancée Brittany (Olivia Luccardi) looks as if a form individual, and she or he’s actually affected person along with his sobriety. He hasn’t had a drink in six months, and Brittany is aware of how precarious his sober state stays.
She even tracks his cellphone to verify he doesn’t stray. Nonetheless, there’s one thing concerning the older, wiser Didi that will get Cliff’s consideration.
Author-director Jay Duplass, co-writer and star Michael Strassner, and star Liz Larsen sat down to debate their refreshing vacation rom-com ‘The Baltimorons.’ Whereas Duplass will get actual about his “mumblecore” roots and returning to the director’s chair, Strassner opens up about his… pic.twitter.com/ZPjxvUQHUO
— Movieweb (@movieweb) September 3, 2025
Strassner, who cowrote “The Baltimorons” with director Jay Duplass, performs Cliff like probably the most lovable cousin at your loved ones reunion. The actor nonetheless lets his anguish rise to the floor, whether or not it’s his irrational worry of needles or worries he’ll relapse if he hits an improv stage once more.
Didi appears emotionally wholesome, however she’s grappling with an ex-husband who left her for a youthful, ditzy bride.
The 2 seem to be an oil and water mixture till their characters start to click on. She wants his upbeat, unpredictable spirit, whereas he’s enamored together with her grounded lifestyle.
He longs for normalcy. She’s suffocated by it.
The comical scenes circulation organically, though an extended sequence involving a towed automotive ought to have been trimmed. Nonetheless, watching these two souls navigate the vacation and their respective wounds is participating, even uplifting.
FAST FACT: The crew behind “The Baltimorons” shot across the higher Baltimore space in 2023, together with scenes set below the Francis Scott Key bridge earlier than its March 2024 collapse.
“The Baltimorons” refuses to demonize Brittany or insist this new love connection is something however imperfect. That makes what occurs on this curious night time all of the extra exceptional.
Duplass, a veteran indie expertise, turns Baltimore into an unlikely character within the story. His digicam captures the town’s attraction, with a nod to the NFL’s Ravens for good measure. There’s not a drop of artifice to be discovered.
The movie’s greatest second comes by way of an improv sequence. The principle characters open up in ways in which cement their bond, however it’s virtually too painful to course of, each for them and us.
It’s exhausting to think about that arc throughout their preliminary assembly, however “The Baltimorons” has the integrity and endurance to steer us to that magical second.
HiT or Miss: “The Baltimorons” is a low-key charmer, a film romance that’s satisfying and sensible.