DVD Review: The Baxter (2005) (9 of 10)
Review by James Jones
We all know how most romantic comedies end. The heroine, played by Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan or some other doe-eyed chatterbox, is at the altar. She’s about to marry the boring, stable, predictable cad she’s been inexplicably engaged to the entire film. The church doors suddenly burst open and music swells as the ruggedly handsome, slightly less polished and infinitely more interesting male lead, played by Matthew McConaughey or Hugh Grant, delivers an exasperated, off the cuff speech that’s simplicity is only rivaled by its emotional resonance. The hero then sweeps the bride-to-be off her feet, therefore saving her from a life of crossword puzzles in bed before passionless, dutiful, closed-mouth, goodnight kisses.
Like I said, we’ve all seen this before. We’re all familiar with the conventions of the romantic comedy; the strictest, most uniform of film genres. In his 2005 film, The Baxter, Writer/Director/Actor Michael Showalter made a sweet, brilliant movie that takes place in the margins of a typical Hollywood romantic comedy. Showalter explores the story from the perspective of the guy destined to be left at the altar in the film’s final scene. The boring, stable, predictable cad. The Baxter.
In The Baxter, you’re watching the characters of a conventional romantic comedy from an outsider’s perspective. The Hollywood-style female protagonist, Caroline Swann (Elizabeth Banks), comes off as self-absorbed and flakey. When her male counterpart, Bradley Lake (played in a comedic tour-de-force by Justin Theroux), makes his final speech in the chapel, you are laughing at what a pompous, phony asshole he is and you hope he’ll take Caroline and maybe go jump off a cliff.
Elliot Sherman, The Baxter, is played with a child-like sweetness and dorky delight by Showalter. You may remember the tall, lanky Showalter as the actor that played “Doug” on MTV’s sketch comedy The State in the mid 90’s. Or you may remember him as the lead in the late 90’s summer camp homage/spoof Wet Hot American Summer. Even if you don’t remember him, just trust me when I say that he’s been responsible for some of the best American comedy of the last decade.
Showalter’s Elliot is living proof that nice guys finish last. He’s an accountant, of course, and getting left at the altar is becoming a pattern for him. He makes terrible jokes, wears pajamas, and, when presented with a decision, always goes with the safest option. But Elliot tries to change his ways when Cecil Mills, an office temp and aspiring singer played by Brokeback Mountain’s Michelle Williams, tells Elliot that in order to be a leading man one must take risks.
Williams is charming and funny as the shy, quirky Cecil. She’s an office temp who carries her own plants and stapler in her purse. Cecil is a shut-in and an eccentric with terrible stage fright, which gets in the way of her singing career. Williams is extremely appealing as Cecil and she proves to have an undeniable talent for music, as well.
The Baxter is a brilliant, hilarious deconstruction of a romantic comedy and it was shamefully overlooked by the media-at-large. Its unique perspective and inside-out take on Hollywood convention will appeal to film students and date movie fans alike.