‘The Baltimorons’ review: The comfort of strangers

It might not become a new holiday classic, but The Baltimorons delivers an abundance of charm through detailed character work.

His first time in the director’s chair since 2012, Jay Duplass is back with The Baltimorons, a charming Christmas indie that can be described as Before Sunrise meets The Holdovers. Co-written by Michael Strassner (who is also the star), the film meshes romance with existentialism, as two strangers spend Christmas Eve together, forcing each other to face their fears.

The film opens with a shocking scene as Cliff (Strassner) drunkenly tries to hang himself but falls flat on his face. Six months later, he’s celebrating his sobriety and Christmas Eve with his fiancée and her family. But before he can get through the door, he chips his tooth. The only dentist open on Christmas Eve is Didi (Liz Larson), a workaholic whose holiday plans have been abruptly halted. 

From breaking out of a tow yard to stealing a boat to look for soft-shell crabs, Didi and Cliff engage in a series of mishaps and hijinks that push them from strangers into something more. They both help each other fight through their fears in screwball ways, such as Cliff sizing Didi up to her ex and Didi volunteering to be in Cliff’s first improv sketch since his suicide attempt.

Liz Larson delivers a wonderfully layered performance.

While the overall story is nothing new, The Baltimorons shines with its believable characters. Cliff is an aspiring comedian who hides his insecurities through quips and one-liners. In contrast, Didi is a no-nonsense kind of gal who feels like she has to prove herself to her ex-husband, and they both feel like people you would meet on the street. Their chemistry doesn’t necessarily come from their budding romance, but more so from the way they slowly come to confide in each other.  Larson particularly sticks out here, starting as someone who feels sorry for Cliff and becomes someone who genuinely wants to spend time with the odd little guy. 

Baltimore is the biggest character in the film, using its streets, buildings, and harbors as its backdrops. You can tell Strassner loves his city with the casual references to neighborhoods and real restaurants, but for a place that’s so culturally rich, it feels a little too gentrified. 

The bottom line.

While it may not become the next Christmas classic, The Baltimorons knows precisely what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else.  With Duplass’s help, Strassner takes a dark part of his life and turns it into a charming story about finding comfort in the arms of strangers. 

The Baltimorons is now playing in select theaters. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of IFC Films. Read more articles by Yasmin Kleinbart here.

Yasmin Kleinbart