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Movies / On DVD / The Baxter
The Baxter

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The Baxter (2005)

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31 %
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Reviews Counted: 70

Fresh: 22

Rotten:48

Average Rating: 5.1/10

Consensus: The Baxter is good-natured, but there are simply not enough laughs to fuel this comedy.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for brief sexual humor and some drug references.

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Genre: Romance

Theatrical Release:Aug 26, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: THE BAXTER (noun) Mr. Wrong. A compromise to "true love." The epitome of "settling." In every romantic comedy there's always that scene at the end where the leading man barges through the... THE BAXTER (noun) Mr. Wrong. A compromise to "true love." The epitome of "settling." In every romantic comedy there's always that scene at the end where the leading man barges through the chapel doors just as the leading lady is about to marry the Wrong Guy. This movie is about the guy left at the altar. The wrong guy. That guy is called the Baxter. The Baxter is the kind of guy you "settle" for because you can't be with the one you really love. And no one's ever been more of a Baxter than tax accountant Elliot Sherman (played by writer/director/star Michael Showalter). Nice but safe, Elliot has been left at the proverbial 'altar' more times than once. From high school to college to business school, Elliot always finds himself on the losing end of the love triangle. After a swearing off relationships once and for all, Elliot decides to take the plunge one last time when he meets his dream woman, beautiful magazine editor Caroline Swann (Elizabeth Banks). But just as he's about to hear wedding bells, her hunky, long-lost high school sweetheart Bradley Lake (Justin Theroux) turns up out of the blue triggering Elliot's fears of yet another colossal dumping. As Elliot feels his life spinning into a downward spiral, things begin to change when he encounters Cecil Mills (Michelle Williams), an adorable office temp/aspiring singer just off the bus from Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Cecil tells Elliot, "Your problem is that you're not willing to take a risk. Leading men take risks." As Elliot struggles to assert himself for the first time, a series of escalating comic events are set in motion, until finally, with Cecil's help, he learns how to step into center stage in his own life and leave Baxter-hood behind forever. Co-starring Zak Orth, Michael Ian Black, Peter Dinklage, David Wain and Paul Rudd, THE BAXTER, reminiscent of the classic American romantic comedies of the forties, is a love story where nice guys finish first for once. IFC Films presents an IFC Production/Plum Pictures Production, THE BAXTER, written, directed and starring Michael Showalter. Co-starring Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Williams and Justin Theroux, the film is set to open in the summer of 2005 through IFC Films. --© IFC Films [More]

Starring: Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Theroux, Michelle Williams

Starring: Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Theroux, Michelle Williams, Michael Ian Black, Peter Dinklage, Paul Rudd, Zak Orth, David Wain, Catherine Lloyd Burns

Director: Michael Showalter

Director: Michael Showalter
Screenwriter: Michael Showalter
Composer: Theodore Shapiro, Craig Wedren
Producer: Celine Rattray
Studio: IFC Films

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Release:

Dec 13, 2005

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Reviews for The Baxter

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
Dave Calhoun
Time Out New York

A droll romantic comedy that relies on a self-deprecating brand of humor which must be a bit of an acquired taste. The film's utter predictably sinks this exercise in obviousms, making its few funny moments not worth waiting for.

Full Review Source: Upstage Magazine | comment 1 Comment
07/19/07
Kam Williams
Upstage Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/19/07
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Bob Grimm
Sacramento News & Review

Showalter cria um filme exatamente como seu protagonista: desajeitadamente simpático e divertido.

comment Comment
03/15/06
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

What comes to mind are TV sitcom pilots full of strain, and the forlornly perky mechanisms of old Day & Hudson comedies.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
10/21/05
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Clearly the filmmakers are trying to make The Baxter look old-fashioned. But there's a modern smugness and superiority that undermines that attempt.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
09/30/05
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

It doesn’t take much imagination to guess who will end up with whom, but The Baxter is agreeably silly and has lots of simple charm.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
09/30/05
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Every romantic-comedy cliché gets played out, but merely re-enacting those clichés in an arch tone isn't funny enough.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
09/30/05
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Showalter tackles his mission with energy and an upbeat attitude that makes him a winner as a lovable loser.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
09/29/05
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The structure is a miscalculation by Showalter, who inexplicably drives his audience through the exact type of sappy material he had started off satirizing.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
09/29/05
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Perhaps it's only just that a movie about a loser should be a loser itself.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
09/25/05
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
09/24/05
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
09/24/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Only when Williams is around does the movie seem human, true, and funny: Even in her slapstick there's pain. She's almost too good: It's not until she's left a scene that you realize the movie isn't working.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
09/24/05
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Anyone who's seen a few romantic comedies, the older the better, will find something to like about The Baxter.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/24/05
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Is this enough on which to hang a full-fledged movie that people will pay to see? Probably not ...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
09/23/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for The Baxter

October 06, 2005: Summer Tomatometer Wrap-up #4: The Worst of the Summer
Over the past few days, we've tried to counter the common misconception that this summer's cinematic fare was bereft of quality. However, that doesn't mean the season was... More...

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