That was an excellent one.

Nice effects though.

A lot of fun.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I will never give a movie a 10 except my favorite movie of all time, and for that one I won't cast my vote until my final year of life (and so I really hope that I don't get hit by a truck or something before I have a chance to do that! I mean, I'm kind of assuming that I'll know when I'm about to meet my demise so that I'll have a chance to enter my comments here on IMDb!). (Well, actually, I'll probably forget this decree way before then and I'll give some movie or other a 10 and it won't be this excellent film and it won't be that one-and-only most favorite movie of my life, and so the occurrence of my 10-posting will diminish my overall credibility; but I enter these comments knowingly.)So, about this movie. What do you look for in a movie? I know people that just look for escape. They want something that's going to take them away from the world. Then there are those that are looking for entertainment. They just want to laugh, and, well, I guess there's a certain escape factor there as well. And then there are those that look for themselves, or look for some kind of explanation of it all in the cinema. Will you find any of those here? YES!!! You'll find all of them here! This is a great movie! I mean, it's a great sort of high B movie, maybe a great B+ movie, or, god, I'm nervous and sweating, maybe, OK, maybe an A- movie. OK, this is really a great, fun, honest, stupid, silly, funny, realistic, embarrassing, revealing showcase of a fine American film. There's nothing that Truffault or Fellini made that's better than this; we all are just so enamoured of black and white that we think those are all better. ***Possible spoiler here*** (but I won't give it all away, I promise!). At the 55 minute mark, pay attention. This is such a great moment, it's sort of the denouement of the film. It's where they're all (and you'll have to actually see the film to understand who is included in this "all") sitting in this bar and a miraculous turn of events takes place. Is it ridiculous and preposterous? Yes! But has it happened in real life! Well, all I can say is: it's happened to me! There they are, I can't even parse the relationships at this point, but one party from each of the quasi-relationships is here, in this bar, and they all meet up in this one illustrious moment, and they wind up sitting together in this bar and getting drunk and playing some sort of drunken charade, and... well, that's all I'll say. It is marvellous. Maybe Woodie Allen- ish, as others have written, but I dunno; I think it's its own thing. You will have to dunk my head in the toilet to get me to say that I'm wrong about this movie, and good luck catching me! It's just a great movie, period. Small, simple, sweet. Please, don't even tell me how jaded you are if you don't like this film.** (I am not a part of or related to or otherwise in any way affiliated with anyone in or involved with this film. My opinions are my own, I do not wish to quibble.)

I love this movie for many reasons, but what I want to do here is talk about where the title comes from. Even professional reviewers seem to have missed this.I am not sure that this will spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet, but I did check the "Contains spoiler" box, just in case.In any event, the hero defines a "Baxter" as the nice guy who doesn't get the girl in the end. Claims this is what his grandmother called such men.The fact is that the classic Billy Wilder movie, "The Apartment" (1960), featured a hero played by Jack Lemmon whose name in that movie is C.C. "Bud" Baxter.That character does get the girl in the end. In both movies, though, the emphasis is not so much on some "mystery" to be solved, but on the fact that the course of true love doesn't always run smoothly. And that we don't always know just who it is that we have actually fallen in love with.I love both movies. Perhaps it's a good idea to watch them back to back. That way the enjoyment of the one would add to the enjoyment of the other. They are different, but have certain interesting themes in common.

Elliot, the CPA who is seen at the beginning of the picture, is a nerd. Don't get me wrong, he is a good nerd, and that's his own downfall. We watch him as Carloline Swann, his fiancée, enters the church to stand next to him. Right there we realize these two are not made for one another. But have no fear, help is on the way. When the female minister asks the congregation if there is anyone who knows why this marriage can't proceed, a disheveled Bradley, who loves Caroline, comes forward to claim her for his own, leaving Elliot at the altar alone.The action then goes back in flashbacks as to how Elliot and Caroline met. Elliot has employed a temp, Cecil Mills, who is new to Manhattan and is late for work because she got lost. Cecil and Elliot seem to strike a much balanced match, but the beauty of Caroline, when she enters the office erases all traces of the mousy Cecil from Elliot's mind, as he doesn't finish asking her for a concert that night.As the preparations for the wedding get on the way, we realize Elliot and Caroline are not suited for one another. There is a hilarious gay wedding planner called Benson Hedges who will be in charge of the nuptials. Elliot in the end will be "the Baxter" of the title, because he is the man who will end up without getting the luscious Caroline.This wonderful comedy written and directed by Michael Showalter, came and went without much fanfare. It deserved much better, but it might have been the timing for its release that killed all the possibilities, as it came out right after "The 40 Year Old Virgin" had captured the movie going public's affections. This film, in comparison, is like a string quartet. Its heart is in the right place and Mr. Showalter got excellent acting from his ensemble cast.The director, like Woody Allen, just to mention another writer-creator, could have done better by staying behind the camera and casting his Elliot with another actor. Not that he doesn't do a good job, but perhaps he would have made Elliot a more lovable character than what comes in the screen.Michelle Williams steals the film. This actress is amazing. She may not have the meatiest role, but she is someone who the viewer will remember in spite of the beautiful, and talented Elizabeth Banks, who plays the two-timing Caroline. Justin Theroux is Bradley, the boyfriend who couldn't stay away. Zak Orth, Paul Rudd, Havilland Morris, and especially Peter Dinklage, are all wonderful in supporting roles."The Baxter" is a delightful film thanks to the talented Michael Showalter who will no doubt will go far in whatever he decides to do next.

Is it just me, or was this an homage to The Apartment (Best Picture – 1960)? Baxter, was played by Jack Lemon in the Billy Wilder classic. I got a feel for it here, but it was a tad shy of a full load for my tastes, but the subtly in places and the "everyone is a Baxter" message were warm and sincere. Recently I have been spoiled by faster and smother paced silly, love stories by the likes of the Friends' cast, Sandler, and Stiller. Even the classics from the 50's through the 70's often found a more stable pace to encourage us to follow along. The glacially slow development of the main characters' true desires takes something away from this movie for me. But perhaps that was just the point. Sometimes it takes us to be pushed to the edge to face what we want to do with our love. A little better pacing, a better mixing of the silly and the subtle would have made this an exceptional movie. I will wait hopefully for Michael Showalter's (director/writer ) next effort.