A "Baxter" is the type of man a woman settles for. He wears tweed coats and argyle vests, drinks Harvey Wallbangers, reads the dictionary for fun and never gets the girl.
Elliot Wendall Sherman (played by Michael Showalter) is a Baxter. In fact, Elliot is the poor bloke who is left at the alter when the princess's knight in shining armor comes riding into the chapel on his white steed.
"The Baxter," a film by the Independent Film Channel, is written, directed and starred in by Showalter. It is the tale of one guy, struggling to hold on to the girl he loves despite his utter hopelessness.
His fiancée, Caroline Swann (Elizabeth Banks), is the epitome of Upper East Side New York City chic. In other words, she is Elliot's complete opposite: pulled together, modern, classy, suave, and well-bred. One wonders why Caroline would ever settle for Elliot in the first place. He is so beyond dorky that he should not have, realistically, shown up on her social radar. Of course, things get interesting when Caroline's high school sweetheart, Bradley (Justin Theroux), shows up just weeks before the wedding.
Throw in Cecil (Michelle Williams) — Elliot's adorable temp secretary who seems to be his perfect match — and you have all the elements of a by-the-book romantic comedy. Hilarity, or pseudo-hilarity, ensues as Elliot goes through a whirlwind week while trying to figure out where his heart actually belongs.
Showalter, although a good comic, was almost too good at playing a Baxter. He was so obsessive-compulsive and needy that he became annoying. No longer was he an endearing character, but rather, the kind of character that the audience roots against. Even Cecil, Elliot's "perfect match" seemed too put together and hip to settle for Elliot.
The comedic elements of the movie oftentimes felt forced and cliché. Take actor Peter Dinklage, for example, who plays the gay wedding planner helping Caroline and Elliot plan the perfect wedding. He made all the same comments and innuendos that have been in a million other movies. His character has been done before. Come on, another gay wedding planner? We already saw Martin Short in "Father of the Bride," and once was enough.
The one redeeming characteristic of the movie was the casting of Williams as Cecil. She was refreshingly sincere in her portrayal of the shy, vintage, songstress/secretary from the Midwest who came to New York to make it as a singer. Williams managed to make her character connect with the audience and feel very real. It was nice to see her in something other than a teenage drama, and it was a nice surprise to see that she can actually act.
Overall, the movie was mildly entertaining. There were some laughs, but most of the time they felt forced. I left the theater feeling a little bit cheated. I had expected better of Michael Showalter and felt let down that "The Baxter" did not live up to my expectations.
Grade: C
"The Baxter" opens on Friday, September 23rd at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave.
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 22, 2005.