Every team needs a morale guy.
Michael Strassner knew he wasn’t a good enough player to play varsity lacrosse at Loyola Blakefield in the mid-aughts, as the Dons’ MIAA championship roster was loaded with D-I players, including future Maryland midfielder Jared Gangler. In fact, there was so much talent at Blakefield that he knew his role might be minimal even on the school’s club lacrosse team.
“I just kind of knew, I’m the comedy guy,” Strassner told me recently. “I’ll be on the team and I won’t get in, I’ll just be making jokes the whole time.”
Lacrosse and football — he played on Blakefield’s freshman team — weren’t directly going to be part of Strassner’s story. But his experience cracking jokes on the field would pay off significantly.
Strassner has spent the last decade-plus as an actor and comic in Los Angeles. He experienced some highs, including small parts on shows like “Parks and Recreation.” But he’s experiencing a breakthrough in 2025 as the star, co-writer and co-producer of the critically acclaimed (92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) film “The Baltimorons,” which is equally “sweet Christmas-based romantic comedy” and “love letter to Strassner’s hometown.”
The film is charming, well worth your time and a fun collection of very Baltimore-centric things. There’s the purple-camo-pants-wearing ex-husband character with zero self-awareness who prefers Joe Flacco over Lamar Jackson, a person we all know well. There’s RoFo chicken at holiday gatherings, a crab boat adventure and a jaunt through Hampden and the lights on 34th Street. There’s even a beautiful shot of the Key Bridge, filmed just before the collapse.
But I was most compelled by Strassner’s Cliff Cashin, the charming and unassuming lead. And it’s where Strassner’s life story meets Cashin that brings the power of the art so full circle.
In the opening scene of the film, we learn that Cashin once attempted suicide. That specific story is Strassner’s. He fell so deep into alcohol addiction that he tried to hang himself with a belt. As he describes it, the belt broke because he was holding extra holiday weight.
The suicide attempt led to him seeking help and getting sober. After choosing to get back into comedy, his social media videos led to a once-in-a-lifetime type of meeting with successful writer and filmmaker Jay Duplass. He told Duplass the story of his suicide attempt and that he was OK with joking about why it failed, which ultimately led to “The Baltimorons.”
As difficult as it might be for the world to see his personal rock bottom, Strassner has been lifted up by how impactful the experience has been.
“Since I have talked openly about it, the best thing that’s happened for me is the amount of people that have reached out to me, saying that they’ve been there too,” Strassner said. “To make the darkest moment of my life into something so beautiful as this, and that it can actually help people, it’s the coolest thing in the world to me.”
The popularity of the film has come along with unique Baltimore experiences that a kid growing up here might only dream of. There was a sold-out premiere at the Senator Theatre. He’s done appearances on the TV stations he watched when he was young. He got to throw out the first pitch at an Orioles game and meet current players and Cal Ripken Jr. John Waters came to a screening of the film.
Pivoting away from sports and toward theater seems to have paid off.
“My uncle was at the premiere of ‘Baltimorons’ and he was like, ‘Man, if I had known you were this good I would have not kept on trying to force lacrosse down your throat,'” Strassner said. “He was like, ‘I wasted a lot of Saturdays throwing the ball with you!'”
And Strassner is aware of the fragility of all of this. His message to those struggling with addiction and suicidal thoughts is direct.
“I almost missed all of this,” Strassner said, poignantly. “You don’t know what’s on the other side. I know right now it might seem really, really hard and it feels like you can’t get out of this hole. But there’s a lot of light on the other side.”
If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time or experiencing suicidal thoughts, please know that help is available. In Central Maryland, the Here2Help Hotline can be reached by calling 410-433-5175. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached by calling 1-800-273-8255 or you can call or text 988.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of IFC Films
Issue 295: October / November 2025
Originally published Oct. 15, 2025