The Baxter is a 2005 American film written by, directed by and starring comedian Michael Showalter. A "Baxter", as defined by the film, is the nice, dull guy in a romantic comedy who is dumped at the end of the story for the protagonist. Much light humor is made of showing Showalter as a "Baxter" in several typical romantic comedy clichés; being abandoned at the altar as a former love is claimed by her high school sweetheart, and being left in college at a pep rally for an underdog sports hero. The plot revolves around the life of Elliot Sherman during the two weeks before his wedding, as he doggedly fights off the curse of his former Baxter role in relationships. IFC Films financed the film and produced it with Plum Pictures. They gave the film a very limited release; it had a U.S. box office gross of $181,872. Plot Elliot, a tax accountant from Brooklyn, is a dependable though thoroughly average young man doomed to be the "Baxter", the nice guy who's bound to lose the girl to the leading man in romantic comedies. Losing three girlfriends to last-minute rekindled relationships with their ex-boyfriends has made Elliot wary of being abandoned yet again. About a week before his wedding to his girlfriend, Caroline Swann, Elliot discovers that her high school beau, Bradley, is back in town. Elliot tries to keep himself composed, but even Caroline's reassurances do not convince him that her feelings for Bradley are buried. In the meantime, Elliot meets Cecil, his temporary secretary at his accounting firm. As he resigns himself to losing Caroline to Bradley, Cecil offers him a ray of hope: she does not believe in "Baxters" and thinks that his predicament is avoidable. The two meet up again later that night at a small club where Cecil performs her original songs, and Cecil tells Elliot he needs to take more risks. When Cecil has a fight with her unsupportive boyfriend Dan, Elliot offers to put her up for the night. The next morning, Caroline shows up early with their wedding planner to finalize their plans. Elliot panics due to Cecil's hidden presence and during the meeting makes a string of awkward suggestions, upsetting Caroline, who begins to doubt his commitment to their relationship, to the point of calling off the wedding. While out to a bar with his friends from work, Elliot accidentally