|
|
|
plot synopsis: Nebbishy, square CPA Elliot Sherman (Showalter) gets engaged to glamorous, über-WASPy magazine editor Caroline Swann (Banks), but two things are getting in the way. One is Elliot's feelings for shy, quirky Cecil Mills (Williams). The other is the untimely and intrusive return of Caroline's long-lost ex-boyfriend Bradley (Theroux). Elliot's distracted behavior leads Caroline to call off the wedding, and Elliot makes an awkward attempt at reconciliation; hijinks ensue throughout.
review: Michael Showalter is known for the absurd, edgy comedy of "The State," Wet Hot American Summer, and "Stella," but surprisingly little of that edge is on display in The Baxter. Instead, the film is a throwback to classic screwball comedies, a fact which is reinforced by the retro costuming and production design. It's also a bit of an ode to Brooklyn and Manhattan. It's really a nice, sweet film, and though it does satirize the cliché conventions of the "Weddings Are Nice" (op cit The Simpsons) genre of romantic comedies a bit, it also gently embraces them and simply recasts them with outsider characters, and it's the characterizations that really bring the film to life.
Elliot and Cecil are both lovably awkward, out of step, and dorky, and it's impossible not to want their characters to end up together. Elliot is the kind of guy who wears tweed suits with vests and a mismatched tweed grandpa hat, and Showalter plays him with a pie-faced, deer-in-headlights innocence. Cecil is a nerdy bohemian in modest vintage dresses, and Williams' performance makes up for years of Dawson's Creekery. Banks, who played the naughty girl in The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Wet Hot American Summer, shows she can play the prissy, uptight end of the spectrum as well. I think the secret weapon of the film is Theroux's rugged but comically sensitive Bradley, the satirical "perfect man" who walks the perfect line between likable and loathesome. The film is enlivened by great supporting performances from Paul Rudd as Cecil's boyfriend, Showalter's Stella-mate David Wain as Elliot's prospective brother-in-law, and Peter Dinklage as a scene-stealing wedding-planner. Unfortunately, the other member of the Stella trio, Michael Ian Black, is upstaged by his character's goofy outfits.
Plot-wise, not much happens in this movie that you couldn't predict, and the conclusion is inevitable, but the whole thing is so charming that I couldn't help but be won over, and unless you're an iron-hearted cynic, you will be too. (mike.09.05)
rating
related links