The story of what happens to the nice guy who never gets the girl, The Baxter is an unconventional romantic comedy. Perenially unlucky in love, accountant Elliot Sherman (Michael Showalter) meets his dream girl (Elizabeth Banks) only to find out she’s settling for him because she doesn’t think she can be with the love of her life. It’s only through the help of Cecil (Michelle Williams), a temp in Elliot’s office, that Elliot learns to embrace who he is.

The Poster

Am I the only one who looked at this poster and initially thought this was a British film? Is it just because of the hat Elliot wears? And why couldn’t there be more Elizabeth Banks? In fact I think all posters should feature Banks, regardless of whether she’s in the movie or not.

The Trailer

If it’s possible to oversell a movie then this trailer does just that. It’s about 2:30 long and that’s about a minute too long. The movie has an original enough concept but the trailer hammers it home so deadeningly that not only to do you wind up feeling like you’ve seen the movie but that it’s no longer interesting. The leads seem charming enough but I just don’t think it sells the movie very well.

The Website

There’s very little of note on the movies’ website. The usual suspects are there in the form of About, Cast/Filmmakers and the Trailer. The section labeled Journal is still tagged as “Coming Soon” despite the fact that we’re four days out from the movies’ premiere in New York and Los Angeles. Goodies has some fun “Postcards” and ten production stills but that’s it. If you’re a journalist there is a section at the bottom for Press Assets, including a high-res poster and a PDF of “Press Notes”. In the true independent spirit there is a link for Tickets and Showtimes showing where and when the movie will be opening around the country.

Overall

It’s an alright campaign but just a bit blah. That’s supposed to be the impression people come away with of the main character, not have of the movie before it opens. It looks funny enough but, as I said, the trailer hits the concept behind the story a bit too heavily for my taste. I know this is an independent film that doesn’t have a huge budget but they could have done a bit more to help The Baxter break out from the crowd.