The Baltimorons

The ability to find humor in profoundly unfunny things when our lives are at their worst is one of humanity's finest defense mechanisms. It's also the source of some of our best dark comedies, allowing us to watch and enjoy stories about topics we'd rather not ever discuss. For example: Michael Strassner, an actor/comedian that makes funny Instagram videos, once attempted to end his own life by hanging himself with a belt, but thanks to carrying what he calls a little "winter weight," the belt snapped and his life was spared. It was the lowest moment of Strassner's life, but one that he is now able to laugh at.

This very real moment is the opening scene of "The Baltimorons," and it would make an interesting psychological study to find out exactly why much of the audience in my theater laughed when Strassner fell to the floor. Maybe it's because they went in knowing the movie is a comedy co-written and directed by Jay Duplass, who (along with his brother Mark) is responsible for many mumblecore classics like "Cyrus" (2010) and "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" (2011).

The vast majority of "The Baltimorons" is thankfully significantly lighter in tone than the opening few minutes, as we follow a now-sober Cliff (Strassner) six months later as he attempts to have a normal Christmas holiday with his fiancé and her family. His fiancé (Olivia Luccardi) is constantly worrying that Cliff will backslide into alcoholism and depression, and warns him to continue to stay away from the improv/standup scene that has enabled his destructive behavior.

Strassner's Cliff is an extremely likeable character, a large, teddy-bear of a man who mixes the physical comedy presence of Chris Farley and the polite, manic verbosity of David Cross. He remains hilariously upbeat even as he trips on the stairs of his fiancé's family's doorstep and knocks out a tooth, leading to an emergency trip to the only dentist in Baltimore willing to see him on Christmas Eve. Cliff's goofy charm initially doesn't work on the dentist Didi (Liz Larson), who is annoyed not only by a gassed-up Cliff that won't stop talking but by a daughter that cancels plans to instead spend time with Didi's ex-husband and his new girlfriend. When Cliff finds out that his car has been towed, Didi reluctantly agrees to drive him to the impound lot, which starts a long series of wacky adventures that lasts well into the night.

It's a lot of fun to watch Cliff and Didi get to know each other and slowly start to develop a relationship, as the pair does a series of walk-and-talks to various Baltimore houses and restaurants. We are rooting for the both of them as they struggle to climb out of their own personal rock bottoms, and even start to root for them as a couple, despite Cliff's having a fiancé, who only shows up in the movie to remind us how much shit Cliff has put her through over the past several months. I couldn't help but feel for the poor fiancé, who basically gets tossed aside because Didi is new and fun. It's a slightly wrong note (to me anyway) that the movie never really deals with, mostly because we're all having too much fun enjoying Cliff and Didi's shenanigans and easy chemistry.

And sure, Didi WANTS Cliff to go to improv (unlike his bummer fiancé), and helps Cliff face down some of his demons around performance and its relationship to his own identity. Cliff does the same, going with Didi to her ex-husband's house and helping her get over the stupid bastard. The unlikely pair begins to see hope for the future at long last, whether it's just for a night or for even longer, and it's hard not to feel the joy shared between the two characters.

Duplass, directing his first movie in 13 years and the first without his brother, has a knack for easy, natural dialogue, and creating characters that feel like decent people who just really need a win. That makes "The Baltimorons" a pleasure to watch and a timely reminder that no matter how hopeless things seem, happiness could be waiting just around the corner.