Film

The Baxter

Name: The Baxter
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 2005
Cast: Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux, Zak Orth

Comedy

A romantic comedy that dares to make its hero fundamentally unexciting. Michael Showalter plays Elliot Sherman, a tax accountant so aggressively mild he embodies every passive nice-guy cliché—and the film, with genuine warmth, explores what happens when being acceptable isn't enough. It's tender and funny without ever becoming cruel.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy gentle, deadpan romantic comedy about a decent man who is too decent for his own good, and you like dialogue that lands in small, awkward pauses.

Skip it if you need fast plot turns or big set pieces, since this is a slight, talky film that mostly runs on one quirky premise and its cast's timing.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a lean ninety-one minutes that build slowly, with awkwardness simmering rather than exploding and characters who mostly wait for their lives to start.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008

A genuinely sweet romantic comedy with real heart underneath the laughs. Jason Segel's vulnerability as a devastated man trying to rebuild feels earned, and the film never punches down at any character, even the jerks.

But The humor is uneven—some bits land perfectly while others feel sitcom-broad. If you need consistent laughs, you might find stretches where the sentiment dominates.

40 Days and 40 Nights2002

Josh Hartnett plays another fundamentally decent guy trapped by his own niceness and circumstances. It's a comedy about restraint and self-improvement that's surprisingly thoughtful about male vulnerability and desire.

But The setup (a sex vow) generates jokes that feel dated now, and the film doesn't always know whether to commit to satire or sincerity, leaving it tonally messy.

The Good Girl2002

Jennifer Aniston subverts her image as a bored, ordinary woman whose life gets disrupted by desire. It's a comedy that's actually quite dark about small-town ennui and the gap between who we are and who we want to be.

But It's sadder and more cynical than The Baxter, with less warmth. If you want comfort, this is too pointed in its critique of suburban mediocrity.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Baxter

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind2004

Both films center on the pain of being the person someone chose to leave, and both suggest that being nice, decent, and ordinary might be the whole problem.

Like The Baxter, it's about someone fundamentally decent trying to understand why he wasn't enough for someone else. But instead of romantic comedy, it uses science fiction and structural experimentation to excavate loneliness and memory with devastating tenderness.

But It's heavy and strange and structurally disorienting. There's almost no humor, and it demands emotional availability—this is not a feel-good movie, even though it feels true.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind poster

I Love You, Man2009

Paul Rudd is the ultimate nice guy who needs to learn how to be himself rather than what others expect. It's fundamentally about male friendship and vulnerability with genuine affection for its characters and their awkwardness.

But The comedy can feel formulaic, and some of the supporting characters exist mainly to deliver punchlines rather than feel real.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World2012

Steve Carell plays a lonely, ordinary insurance salesman facing the apocalypse—a premise that lets the film explore what it means to connect with someone when everything else falls away. It's melancholic and unexpectedly moving.

But The apocalypse backdrop is distracting and underexplored. If you want a pure character study, the doomsday scenario sometimes pulls focus from what makes the relationship tender.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World poster

The Internship2013

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play middle-aged guys out of their depth trying to reinvent themselves. It's fundamentally optimistic about second chances and learning, with real affection for its underdogs.

But It's essentially a Google commercial, and the comedy is scattered across a thin plot. The sentiment can feel unearned, like the film wants credit for being nice without earning it.

Adventureland2009

Jesse Eisenberg's introverted, anxious kid working a summer job is deeply relatable. It captures the specific loneliness of being decent but overlooked, with genuine summer-night melancholy and unexpected emotional depth.

But It's quieter and sadder than The Baxter, less interested in laughs and more in mood. The pacing drags in places, and some viewers will find it too contemplative.

Grosse Pointe Blank1997

John Cusack returns to his hometown as an assassin—a dark premise that becomes oddly moving about belonging and connection. It's funny and weird and genuinely strange about masculinity and isolation.

But It's significantly darker and more violent than The Baxter, with a different era's sensibility. The satire is sharper, which means it's less interested in characters being sympathetic.

Welcome to Collinwood2002

A heist comedy where ordinary, likable people plan a robbery. It's warm and funny without being cynical, focused on the sweet chemistry between misfits rather than elaborate con mechanics.

But The plot is deliberately thin and low-stakes, which means if you want genuine suspense or complex schemes, you'll be disappointed. Some will find it slight.

The Middleman2008

Both celebrate the decent everyman in a way modern comedy rarely does, treating sincerity and kindness as genuinely interesting rather than things to get past.

A cult TV series about an impossibly decent, earnest young man navigating surreal situations. It's genuinely funny and weird while maintaining complete affection for its hero's niceness, treating it as a superpower rather than a flaw.

But It was canceled after one season, so there's no resolution. The tone is cartoonish and absurdist—if you want grounded character drama, this will feel like too much stylization.