Baxter! (1973)

Overrated

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I remember seeing this on TV many years ago. Although it's not the type of subject matter that would appeal to many people it is nonetheless important. Roger Baxter is a teenage boy who has a personal problem causing him embarrassment and grief: His problem is a speech impediment where he has trouble pronouncing his R sound. Roger seems more tormented by this problem than others, but he manages to deal with it in a humorous and mature manner, constantly making references and jokes to put others at ease. But we soon learn his personal speech problem may be an underlying effect of his dysfunctional home life. After his parents divorce, he moves to an upscale flat in London with his cold and inattentive mother. They don't have a very supportive or warm relationship as they bicker and make personal barbs at each other. The movie offers us flashbacks of his previous home life when dad was around. The turmoil between the three of them was enough to put this family over the edge and split apart. Fortunately, Baxter is befriended by a warm and friendly couple, Chris ( a gorgeous model) and her boyfriend, Roger (a reputable chef and author of cookbooks). They take little Baxter on a trip and a heartwarming friendship trio ensues. We get a glimpse of Roger's school life where he seems awkward and out of place among the bigger kids his age. The British teacher is a pompous ass who gets satisfaction out of humiliating Roger. After being ridiculed for his baby-talk he is sent to consult the services of the school Speech therapist (Mrs. Clemm). Their initial meeting is informal as she addresses him in a genuine and cool manner. But they hit it off and another friendship ensues. We don't see them interacting so much in speech therapy, but rather she becomes more of a confidant and personal counselor. Baxter also is befriended by a British girl (Nemo) where he learns about her carefree behavior and permissive parental relations. We are seeing several key factors in this movie: an American boy whose character seems to jar against the European people's character, dysfunctional and abusive parental relations, a boy's inability to cope with his problems and the tragedy of losing a dear friend. This movie does touch upon some very poignant issues and some of the scenes are underlined in progressing the overall pathos of his situation. Baxter is certainly not dealing with anything extraordinary or even insurmountable. These problems are pretty common among families and youth of today. But what makes this movie so special is how it presents them and treats them with compassion. It's rare, if not nonexistent, in movies today. The manner in which this couple befriend and show love for this boy will truly warm your heart. And Britt Eckland was definitely a sight to behold. Patricia Neal is convincing and correctly dominant in her role to protect this young man from his mother and put him under her care and supervision. The climactic ending has a physical confrontation with the boy's mother and his Mrs. Clemm as Mrs. Clemm fights the boy's abusive mother over gaining rights to have him hospitalized due to his acute anxiety that has stricken him. a series of disappointing events including the death of his model friend, Chris, is what has put him over the brink of mental breakdown.This movie is quite dated with its production values. The director uses echoing sound effects during Baxter's moments of fear and psychosis as we have extreme zoom in and out close ups of adults talking at him. This is supposed to magnify how often people are unable to connect with those who are under severe mental breakdowns. There's also a couple of charming scenes where (Chris) strikes fashionable modeling poses while Baxter mimes camera shooting, and another where Baxter and (French Roger) prepare a Lobster feast for his girlfriend. We don't see this type of bittersweet drama anymore and perhaps it may not be marketable in today's pop-culture. I also doubt that this obscure film will resurface in any way except for nostalgic people who have a faint memory of Baxter! and find this on youtube. But Baxter is something that remains in the recesses of my mind.

I saw Baxter, (not to be confused with the movie about a Pittbull) years ago. It's a movie I have never forgotten. This movie is one of the most heart wrenching and yet beautiful films I have ever seen. Sadly I have never been able to find a copy of it and for some strange reason, this masterpiece has never been released on VHS or DVD. A young teenager with a speech impediment who is emotionally neglected by his selfish parents moves from the States to England with his self obsessed mother. He also has a caring speech therapist who actually seems to understand his isolation. He befriends a couple who become a surrogate big brother and big sister to him.He also befriends a young girl as well but through a series of events, he ends up having a traumatic breakdown ending in one of the most tear inducing scenes ever filmed. This movie is a tear jerker, but it is not manipulative, but honest in it's portrayal of a lonely unhappy boy. Watch it if you can find it, and I truly hope you can find it.

"Dear dad, I wish this journey would go on forever" writes young Roger Baxter to his ever-absent father, on the flight from America to England and right away tears up the letter and flushes it down the toilet. That's how this exquisite film about troubled adolescence, indifferent parents and the painful realization of commitment and loss begins. And it's no easy ride. Steering clear of the clichés that usually burden these movies, it offers us a clear and passionate view of the mind of this teenager in the way good British films do, in a simple no-nonsense way. (Kudos to actor-turned-director Lionel Jeffries for his efficient "invisible" direction).A little about the story: Roger Baxter comes to London with his divorced mother. They are rich and he's enrolled in a very exclusive school, which he hates. His mother is a self-absorbed artistic socialite who has little time for her son. His father is still in the States and he's as absent to his son as he is to us viewers (we hardly ever see him). Also Roger has a speaking disability (he cannot pronounce "r") which further separates him from the rest of the "normal" people. The sun shines for our hero through a handful of encounters: to a young couple (a French chef and a Swedish model) who become surrogate older siblings, a young girl who's as close to a romantic interest that Roger comes to but not quite and the Speech therapist who's a much stronger mother figure than his own mother. Through a series of events Roger has his psyche shattered, but the end of this film, a great scene between Scott Jacobi and Jean-Pierre Cassell, is both optimistic and touching.The acting is uniformly very good, but special mention must go to two actors who really carry the film. Scott Jacobi as Roger Baxter gives the performance of his career, while Patricia Neal as the speech therapist conveys both the quiet authority as well as the human warmth needed in the part (Favourite scene: Roger is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and his mother, not understanding what is happening with her son, slaps him. Patricia Neal grabs her wrist and in a very quiet voice says: "I am not a violent person and I will probably hate myself in the morning, but if you as so much as touch this boy I will break every bone in your body").When the movie came out in the early seventies, a British film critic called it "a small masterpiece". Do find out for yourselves that indeed it is so.

In the early 70s, I never heard of a kid actor named Scott Jacoby. Then one week I saw him in like 3 movies in a row airing in the middle of the night. Baxter! isn't as good as "Bad Ronald," but it held my interest even though I was just a kid, and it's still a great film today. Scott plays this kid Roger with a lisp and he has to get speech therapy. He kinda comes of age while going through this. Sounds kind simple, and it is, but it has some intense moments. Good stuff.