Elliot Sherman has it all, a prosperous career and a beautiful bride to be. However, when Bradley, his fiancé’s high-school sweetheart, shows up Elliot must fight against becoming “the baxter”, a sad loser left at the wedding-altar. Before long, Elliot is struggling to compete with the charismatically smarmy Bradley and to make matters worse he's starting to realise that he's actually better suited to another girl he's met...

The Baxter is a romantic comedy written, directed and starring Michael Showalter. Showalter is not the only multi talented member of the cast, Justin Theroux (who plays Bradley) is currently writing the screenplay for Iron Man 2 and previously wrote the screenplay for Tropic Thunder.

The basic story is straightforward enough. Geeky Elliot meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman called Caroline. Sadly, she is a little high maintenance. On the day Michael meets his bride to be, he also meets Cecil, who is much more suited to him. The two strike up a platonic friendship but it's clear to see that both are better suited to each other than their current partners.

The movie starts on Michael and Caroline's wedding day, as Bradley rushes into the church to declare his undying love for Caroline. The rest of the movie is told in flashback to show how Michael got into the situation in the first place.

As the movie progresses, we soon discover that Caroline is a bit of a nightmare, Bradley is a conniving individual, and Cecil is a sweet woman who would be so much better for Michael. Michael also seems to be repeating past mistakes - constantly missing the opportunities that are there with every woman he's ever met - which is probably why he falls for Caroline: she organises everything for the both of them.

While all of the actors are outstanding in their roles, there was one scene which I loved head and shoulders above the rest - simply for David Wain's (who is also a writer/director) acting. When Louis Lewis (Wain) and Michael meet for a chat, Louis pours out his heart on what it's like been married to Caroline's sister. I assume this scene was partly improvised as Wain comes out with some hilarious lines that seem to flow so naturally.

There are no extras other than the trailer, which is a shame as an audio commentary with Showalter would have been interesting. But then again, the £13 RRP reflects this. Also, it's worth watching the end credits as there are a couple of additional scenes.

The Baxter is an entertaining romantic comedy which adds something a little different into the genre.

9

Darren Rea