The buzz about ‘The Baltimorons’ continues; this new film could become a holiday perennial

Accolades for The Baltimorons continue to pop up as the set-in-Baltimore comedy about an unlikely May-December romance screens at film festivals out west. In March, I reported on the effusive praise the Jay Duplass-directed movie received at the South By Southwest Film and TV Festival in Austin, with one critic declaring it the “feel good movie of 2025” and another predicting that The Baltimorons will become a perennial holiday favorite.

Set on Christmas Eve in Baltimore, it’s the story of a sobered-up former improv comic (played by Baltimore native and Loyola High and University of Maryland grad Michael Strassner) who, because of a dental emergency, meets an older woman (a dentist played by Liz Larsen) and the two have a holiday adventure that turns into a holiday romance.

“A beautiful film,” wrote Brian Tallerico in his review for RogerEbert.com. He called The Baltimorons, written by Duplass and Strassner, “an incredibly funny, genuinely moving character study.” 

Scheduled for general release later in the year by IFC Films and Sapan Studio, The Baltimorons also won praise at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.

On Monday, I received another review — this one from a former Baltimore resident, Paul Eagle, who caught the film at the Nevada City Film Festival. Eagle lived here for 30 years before moving to California to care for his parents. He says he wrote some film reviews years ago for the City Paper. Here’s what he says about The Baltimorons:

It’s an astonishing film, a love letter to Baltimore that captures its charm and beauty. This includes a December walk in Hampden to Dylan’s Oyster House, Rocket to Venus and Miracle of 34th street lights. It shows rowhouses in Fells Point, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Washington Monument, views from Federal Hill, the Hippodrome, and a towing yard in Cherry Hill. You’ll recognize every street and every view. It has jokes about the Ravens and Orioles, including Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson, and references ROFO chicken, Berger Cookies and  crabs.

It’s also very poignant and funny with many laugh-out-loud moments. I met Michael Strassner and we had a great time sharing BMore stories. I thanked him for showing this beautiful and quirky side of Baltimore that most don’t know. He told me for $45 he bought a permit which gave him rights to film anywhere in Baltimore.😂

It’s also a great underdog story since it was discovered by Duplass, who used his muscle to get it made and ended up co-writing and directing.  . . . This film was so beautiful but made me miss Bmore terribly!

The photo with this post shows Jay Duplass, in white headset, with his film crew on location in what looks like Hampden. Credit: Michael Strassner/SLO Film Festival