The Baxter
| The Baxter | |
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| Directed by | Michael Showalter |
| Produced by | Reagan Silber Galt Niederhoffer |
| Written by | Michael Showalter |
| Starring | Michael Showalter Elizabeth Banks Michelle Williams Justin Theroux |
| Music by | Theodore Shapiro |
| Edited by | Sarah Flack |
| Distributed by | IFC Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $181,872 |
The Baxter is a 2005 film written by, directed by and starring American comedian Michael Showalter. A “Baxter”, as defined by the film, is the nice, dull guy in a romantic comedy who is dumped at the end of the story for the protagonist.
Much light humor is made of showing Showalter as a "Baxter" in several typical romantic comedy clichés; for instance, he is shown being left at the altar as a former love is claimed by her high school sweetheart, and being left in college at a pep rally for an underdog sports hero. The plot revolves around the life of Elliot Sherman during the two weeks before his wedding, as he doggedly fights off the curse of his former Baxter role in relationships.
IFC Films financed the film and produced it with Plum Pictures. They gave the film a very limited release; it had a U.S. box office gross of $181,872.
Eliot is a dependable and reliable—though thoroughly average—young man with a streak of bad luck. It seems that he is terminally typecast as a nice guy in a life that mimics the clichés of typical romantic comedies. In High School he was stood up by his date on Prom night when her ex-boyfriend, the most popular kid in school, swept her off her feet while he was getting drinks. In college, his next serious girlfriend was wooed back by her ex-boyfriend during a pep rally when he announced that he would abandon the Lacrosse team in favor of attending her music audition to Juilliard. Later, during business school, the same thing happens when he and his then-girlfriend are intercepted by one of her ex-boyfriends with a puppy. Having lost three girlfriends to their ex-boyfriends has made Eliot defensive at the proposition of being abandoned (yet again) and having his heart broken.
About a week before his wedding to his girlfriend, Caroline Swann, he discovers that she had a long-lost love in High School, Bradley, from whom she was inseparable. Eliot tries to keep himself composed, but even his Caroline's reassurances do not convince him that her feelings for Bradley are buried. Though he makes a last-ditch effort to convince her to elope, she refuses, and Eliot starts bracing himself for the worst when Bradley drops by and begins trying to win Caroline's affections again. In frustration, Eliot has a chance encounter with an office temp, Cecil (Michelle Williams), who shares the same elevator with him while he blurts out his unfortunate past. As he resigns himself to losing Caroline to Bradley, Cecil offers him a ray of hope: she does not believe in "Baxters" and thinks that his predicament is avoidable.
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