THE BALTIMORONS is an utterly delightful, low-key melancholy romantic comedy that absolutely won a place in my heart. It stars Michael Strassner as a thirty-something stand-up comic recovering from depression, cancellation and alcoholism. He's engaged to his ever-vigilant fiancee Brittany (Olivia Luccardi) but still seems to be drifting and struggling. The movie opens on Christmas Eve morning. Cliff needs an emergency dental repair and the only dentist open is the the world-weary but admirably strong middle-aged dentist Didi (Liz Larsen). Her daughter bails on her for Christmas to spend it with her dad and his new younger wife. The balance of the film sees Cliff and Didi just hang out, derping around the wintry quiet streets and shoreline of Baltimore. They seem to really connect, to be kind, earnest, hurt but open to each other. It's a genuinely beautiful romance in the making.
What I love about this film is how real and complex and nuanced the characters are. Even Cliff's fiancee Brittany is given the grace of genuinely caring for him and understanding how hard it is to move forward with a relationship intercut but recent trauma. I also love how natural Strassner and Larsen are together on screen. Despite the age gap and the financial gap they really seem like they could make it. I also really like Jay Duplass' directorial style here. The film has a beautiful, gentle, earnest quality and could become a stealth Christmas favourite. There's something about the Peanuts adjacent soft-jazz score that makes everything feel cosy and heart-warming even as the film handles some pretty gnarly subject matter.
THE BALTIMORONS is rated R and has a running time of 101 minutes. It played SXSW 2025 where it won the Audience Award, and was released in the USA last September.
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