Movies, Films & Flix

Quick Thoughts:

• Michael Strassner and Liz Larsen are great together.
• It features the best Cadillac with a “mother-of-pearl” paint job of any 2025 film.
• Jay Duplass has crafted a fantastic film that’s loaded with humor, warmth, crab fishing, trespassing, improv comedy, broken teeth, memorable lines, and depth.
• Favorite Line – “I like your face.”
• Watch it.

Sometimes the best work comes when there’s no time for overthinking because you have about three weeks to prepare for a three-week shoot in Baltimore, Maryland. This is what happened to director and co-writer Jay Duplass, who, after having a tumultuous time during the pandemic and SAG actors’ strike, was ready to direct another movie. Baltimorons came together in an organic rush, and it works because of the charming cast and dedication of the 15-member crew (and their family members). Duplass considers it to be a “big ass miracle,” but that oversimplifies the smart decisions that gave this tiny film a chance. 

The film opens with an inebriated man named Cliff (Michael Strassner) trying and failing to hang himself in his dimly lit attic. The suicide attempt fails not for a lack of trying, but because Cliff’s belt buckles when his 250ish pound body steps off a chair and plummets towards the wooden floor. This scene is important for a couple of reasons because we learn that Cliff genuinely wanted to kill himself, but he didn’t put enough thought into how to do it correctly. It’s a dour way to open a film, but it’s important because we know that Cliff is on the edge and clearly has issues that need to be understood and resolved. 

The film then cuts to an exterior shot of a “mother-of-pearl” colored Cadillac driving around Baltimore that is soundtracked by Vince Guaraldi’s melancholic rendition of “O’Tannenbaum.” It’s been six months since the suicide attempt, and Cliff has been sober for all six of them. During the car ride to his future in-laws house for Christmas Eve celebrations, he shows off his six month sober medal to his fiance Brittany (Olivia Luccardi – Yara from It Follows!) and tells her a story about how fellow AA meeting members thought he was stealing money from the donation basket when he was trying to get change for a $20 bill (He wanted $17 back because $3 is a fine donation). Moments later, as he’s trying to enter his future in-laws’ house, he smacks his face on a doorframe and dislodges a tooth. This forces him to find a dentist on Christmas Eve, and the only person who answers his calls is Dr. Didi (Liz Larsen), a gruff dentist who is quickly won over by the affable Cliff. 

After she successfully fixes his tooth, the two embark on an exploration of Baltimore that involves breaking Cliff’s Cadillac out of a tow truck lot, performing an improv set in an auto shop, and a late-night crab fishing expedition. During the day, the pair bond and learn more about each other as they traverse various Baltimore locations. A lot has been made of the 30-year age gap between the two characters, but it’s not as noticeable as the relationships in Harold and Maude or May December, because Cliff is a bearded giant, and Didi is described as being a “MILF dentist” whose gruff exterior masks a vulnerable side. Both characters have experienced a lot of pain and sadness, which is why they work as a couple. 

Throughout the film, Cliff is described as being a “double XL trying to fit into a medium,” and it makes sense because he’s trying to stuff himself into a life that doesn’t fit his oversized personality. Sobriety was much needed, but his new clear-headedness and past trauma are pushing him towards a life of office work that will probably kill him. Throughout the film, we learn that his attempt at getting cast on a show called Laugh It Up Live (think SNL) was unsuccessful, and he’s unsure if he can be a sober comedian. So, his chance meeting with Didi proves to be important because she’s a gruff stranger who doesn’t know anything about his struggles and offers a path to a new life. 

Duplass describes Strassner as being a “sensitive, sweet-hearted, gentle, woodland creature inside the body of a 1978 Chicago Bears linebacker.” The description fits as Cliff is a massive dude, but pretty much everything that comes out of his mouth is nice. Strassner plays the role with a welcome amount of sincerity and charm, and you believe his motor-mouthed shenanigans are meant to mask his sadness and disappointment with life. Most importantly, he and Larsen are wonderful together, and they create three-dimensional characters who work well together. The best thing about Liz Larsen is that the “pint-sized dynamo” can be simultaneously tough and vulnerable. Her best moment comes when she volunteers for an improv comedy bit inside an auto shop (that was owned by the parents of one of the crew members). It’s fun watching her help Cliff while putting herself in front of a crowd of strangers who love improv so much they happily attend improv popups on Christmas Eve. Both characters need each other, and I loved watching their new origin (or reinvention) stories.

Final thoughts – Watch it!