Independent film "The Baltimorons," starring local actor and writer, premieres in Baltimore
A new movie co-written and starring a Baltimore native premiered on Wednesday at the Senator Theatre. "The Baltimorons" has already gotten fantastic reviews at festivals and in cities where it has been shown.
Actor and comedian Michael Strassner based some of the story on his life and much of Baltimore. It's a romantic comedy with our city front and center.
"The Baltimorons" opens at theaters throughout our area and nationwide on Thursday.
Strassner fulfilled a dream on Wednesday by throwing out the first pitch before the Baltimore Orioles game, before going to Senator Theatre.
Film shot in Baltimore
"The Baltimorons" was shot entirely in Baltimore. Strassner is from Towson, went to Loyola/Blakefield, and then to the University of Maryland in College Park.
Stassner and director Jay Duplass have made an absolutely charming movie.
It starts when the character, Cliff, loses a tooth on Christmas Eve. He finds a dentist and the two of them end up spending the next 24 hours together.
Quick turnaround
Strassner said he shot the film in 15 days in December 2023.
The movie rides an interesting rail because there is a dark undercurrent, talking about suicide, addiction, divorce, and menopause.
And, the film was made on an extremely tight budget.
"If we tried to light 34th Street, it would be millions," Strassner said.
Key Bridge captured months before collapse
The one scene that stood out to WJZ anchor Denise Koch was when filming went under the Key Bridge, just months before it collapsed into the Patapsco River.
"We shot under the RIP bridge, at 5 in the morning, and it was zero degrees. I was windy and we were on this little crab boat, and everybody's like, 'Let's go... let's go," said actress Liz Larsen
They shot the scene two months before the Key Bridge collapsed.
Sobering revival
Strassner got sober seven years ago. That chapter of his life and the way it affected him is in the film.
"I come from a sketch and improv background, and when I first got sober, I didn't think I was gonna be funny," Strassner said. "I thought my life was over, and I thought I'd go home and become a mortgage broker like my dad, but we really wanted to incorporate that into the script."
Strassner said he's proud that he took advantage of his second chance.
"The honest truth is, I was this close to missing it all, and I'm so happy that I'm here. and that I got a second chance," Strassner said.
Why "The Baltimorons?"
Starassner explains the title, "The Baltimorons," which could be misconstrued as people who aren't from Baltimore, wondering why people in Baltimore are being referred to as morons.
"I would never name a movie "The Baltimorons" if I weren't from here," Strassner said. "I Iove Baltimore, I love it very, very much. and it's not a hellhole. It's a heaven."
