The Baxter is really a humorously written and acted film. It quite cannily portrays the passivity and reactionary mindset through the main character Elliot Sherman, a proud CPA. Is being a Baxter such a bad trait after all? His contrasting counterpart would be Bradley Lake, (Justin Theroux) a world traveler, who avidly gets in touch with his feminine and masculine nature, when it comes to developing a love relationship. He weeps tears, loves a great hamburger and beer, and dancing too. These two men's, two women's, and their friends exaggerated characters, are authentic humor, reminding us of the power of film, in comparison to the novel. It is a fabulous example of cinematic purpose. Is Bradley in love with ex- Caroline (Elizabeth Banks), Elliot's fiancée, or is he in love with only giving and receiving intimate love? Granted, it's an important facet to the relationship, but it's not enough in and of itself, to maintain a marriage. It is too bad that Cecil Mills, (Michelle Williams) Elliot's temp is always his second choice. In the last scene, she is wearing red, symbolic to second place. Does this film end with her as only a "Baxterette"? Watch the film and decide for yourself. Still, it's a guarantee that you'll find some good laughs from these silly and quirky personalities, who remind us that sometimes we can never be absolutely confident about the love bonds that we make. To error is human – and at least we and they can do a good job about making some humor of it, because in the end, these characters are likely serious about the sentiment, wanting to be happy in love.

The Baxter This is probably one of the most underrated films I've seen yet, considering that it's style is basically generic romantic comedy (meaning the makers underrated it themselves), it's gotten little to no viewership... I never even heard of it before I picked it up off the wall (it was next in line).Anyway, you know all those movies about how the man and the woman love each other but can't figure it out, so the woman almost marries the wrong person before the man crashes the wedding and sweeps her away? Well this is the story of the guy left at the altar, and his search for the "right woman" as well when his character is defined as the safe, content "nice guy" that women are supposed to erroneously try to marry when their lively romantic relationships go awry. Basically that's the long way of saying that this guy is an accountant who spends his time reading the dictionary as a private pleasure, and now he realizes that he'd like to actually get the girl too.What's absolutely wonderful about this film is that Elliot knows that his problem is that he's such a harmless nice guy, but he knows that being a harmless nice guy is a really great thing to be if you don't take into account that that means losing a lot of relationships because women are more interested in romance risk-takers. So he has to battle his own personality with his own personality while his friends give him TERRIBLE advice that sounds good (we've been there, now haven't we?), he surrounds himself with completely superficial people because superficiality is the only way he knows to fit in, and he totally doesn't notice the direct and not-so-subtle advances from the "right girl" who is, also, way too nice to take risks as well.In short, it's an absolutely delightful sort of aside in the whole romantic comedy industry, but still uses a lot of the tropes and techniques usual to the form to keep it simple and enjoyable for everyone.--PolarisDiB

A quirky premise and some delightful performances made this film refreshingly true to its stated goal. Showalter is charmingly awkward and perplexed throughout, as a "baxter," one of the guys who are always left alone at the altar when their brides' true loves return to abduct them. Michelle Williams is exceptional in her role, and Jon DeVries and Peter Dinklage both contribute some great comedic moments. A few sour notes rang out, including Elizabeth Banks' performance as Caroline Swann, which seemed confused and inconsistent. But The Baxter's power is in its non-standard take on old romance stereotypes. The impassioned speeches of each reformed lover to his girl are wonderfully recast from the perspective of the safe, nice guy who is our protagonist here. True love for him is not in being a daredevil or a risk-taker, but simply being himself and taking the opportunity that presents itself. As a new kind of romantic comedy that doesn't necessarily play by the rules, The Baxter succeeds in many ways.

I really feel like this movie makes a statement, too subtle for some to hear, but nevertheless a statement for those of us who came of age in the 80's. I kept having flashbacks to the late 80s early 90s while watching this. Maybe it was the reticence or shyness of the leads, or the haunting score, or the theme of missed opportunities and compromises in love. Something about this movies strikes a chord in me and my broken heart. It chimes with Sideways for me somehow. It is a great, great film. Just know, that however tough life seems, you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Be sure you watch the credits to the end...the very end. There are surprises!