- September 12, 2025
- By Karen Shih ’09
Christmas came early this year for Terps Michael Strassner ’11 and David Bonnett ’10—and it could for moviegoers heading to see their new feel-good film, out in wide release Friday.
“The Baltimorons,” directed by indie darling Jay Duplass, stars Strassner as a newly sober comedian whose tooth emergency on Christmas Eve leads to an unexpected connection with his dentist, played by Liz Larsen, and a day of hijinks across Baltimore. After premiering at SXSW in March, it won the Audience Award, and was picked up by Independent Film Company for distribution—a tremendous show of faith when most movies go straight to streaming.
“It’s a full-on dream come true,” said Strassner. “I couldn’t have imagined any of what’s happening so far.”
The project was deeply personal for co-writer Strassner and co-producer Bonnett as they showcase their shared hometown—the pre-collapse Francis Scott Key Bridge features prominently in a pivotal scene—and offer glimpses into their own lives, including cameos by family and friends.
They credit Duplass, who first connected with Strassner on Instagram in 2021, for encouraging them to set the movie in Charm City. After shooting a short film with Strassner and learning about his sobriety journey, Duplass pitched the idea of writing a feature-length script together.
“It was the best experience. He’s really open to everything and attached to nothing. I learned so much from him,” said Strassner, who called revisiting his low moments on-screen “cathartic.”
Courtesy of Independent Film Company
As a bootstrapped indie operation, shooting in Baltimore had plenty of perks. Getting a street permit for three weeks in December 2023 cost just $45, compared to the thousands per day Los Angeles would have charged. They captured authentic holiday cheer on 34th Street in the Hampden neighborhood, where self-described “Christmas maniac” Strassner reveled in the colorful decorations as a child. And Bonnett drew on connections across the city for locations, including his great-grandmother’s house and his family’s tow lot for a comedic set piece.
“We had home field advantage. If I didn’t know someone, it was just a phone call away,” said Bonnett, who managed behind-the-scenes permitting and public relations work and hired local crew members for the project. “There’s so many creative people in Baltimore and the state … there’s very much an indie resurgence.”
It wasn’t all easy, of course. When much of the crew caught COVID in the final days of shooting, they had to scramble with a skeleton operation. And when they discovered that the Cadillac that Strassner’s character drove was unavailable for reshoots, they had to turn to Facebook Marketplace and a sketchy pickup location for a replacement. “We’re always problem-solving creatively,” said Bonnett.
For both Terps, “The Baltimorons” is their biggest project to date, and they credit UMD in part for putting them on that path.
“I love entertaining and making people laugh,” said Strassner, ever since he donned his sister’s dresses to become Mrs. Doubtfire as a child. In middle school, he took the stage for the first time as Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and at UMD, became a theater major, where he honed his craft under Professor Emeritus Scot Reese and Associate Professor Emerita Leigh Wilson Smiley, among others.
Bonnett had a less clear path to entertainment. He started as a pre-dental student before film classes with faculty including Lecturer Greg Metcalfe and Professor Caroline Eades changed his trajectory. “I loved watching movies and became curious about the process, pulling pieces together to see how the machine works,” he said. “It was really eye-opening to dive into the theory of it all, the worldbuilding.”
David Bonnett (Photo by Claire Cianos)
Courtesy of Independent Film Company
They met through mutual friends as students and stayed lightly in touch as they each tried to gain a foothold in the industry. Strassner moved to Los Angeles shortly after graduating, joining improv troupe The Groundlings and getting small roles in shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Modern Family” while writing and acting in his own indie projects. Bonnett, meanwhile, worked locally behind the scenes on projects like “House of Cards” before heading to Hollywood himself, where he got a big break as an on-set assistant for Paul Rubens on “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.” During COVID, the Terps reconnected and shot several short films and sketches, developing a strong trust and rapport that led to “The Baltimorons.”
The film has garnered praise from outlets such as Variety, which called it a “joyful yet bittersweet comedy” that’s “primed to become a seasonal standard,” and The Hollywood Reporter, which said, “It’s the kind of quirky concept that could easily have been cringe material, but the actors give it a lived-in naturalism that sneaks up on you.”
It’s gratifying, said Bonnett, at a time when fewer and fewer movies are being greenlit. Strassner agreed. “You have to create your own opportunities,” he said. “Hollywood loves to be the second yes. You’ve got to do your own thing and fail a lot, over and over and over, until you finally land.”