Brandon Routh Movies
Not unlike the character that would catapult his acting career, Brandon Routh was born in a rural state, far from the bright lights of Hollywood. Raised in the Des Moines suburb of Norwalk, IA, Routh discovered his love of acting in high school when he began participating in community theater at the Norwalk Theater of the Performing Arts. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Iowa intending to study English. His desire to begin his career was too much to resist, however, and he left after a year to see what opportunities might await him on the West Coast.Routh began paying his dues with appearances on Odd Man Out, Undressed, and Gilmore Girls. In 2002, he completed a year-long stint on the soap opera One Life to Live, continuing to make single-episode appearances over the next few years on popular shows like Cold Case, Will & Grace, and Oliver Beene.
Then, around 2004, Routh auditioned for the one of the most sought-after roles of the decade: Superman. The upcoming relaunch of the Superman franchise had been through copious adjustments and would still see more, and Routh originally auditioned for director McG, who was signed to the film at the time. Numerous directors had, in fact, been tied to the film over a period of development that would take over ten years to come to fruition. By the time Superman Returns would go into production, the names Tim Burton, Wolfgang Petersen, Brett Ratner, Shekhar Kapur, and more had been officially or unofficially linked to the film. Just as many actors were considered for the leading role, both legitimately and in rumor, from Nicolas Cage in the early stages to actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Ashton Kutcher, and Josh Hartnett more recently.
When director Bryan Singer was secured as director, however, he wanted the Man of Steel to be a fresh face. Impressed by the performance Routh had given in his audition for McG, as well as the young actor's uncanny resemblance to both the classic depictions of Superman and the late Christopher Reeve, who'd immortalized the hero in earlier films, Routh was eventually offered the part. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Based on writer/director Buddy Giovinazzo's novel of the same name, Life Is Hot in Cracktown explores how crack cocaine infiltrated the streets of urban America by following the journeys of four people whose lives are on a tragic collision course. Pre-op transsexual Marybeth (Kerry Washington) is working as a prostitute in order to save enough money to make her transformation complete. She lives with her lover, Benny, a small-time burglar, whom she hopes to marry after her final operation. Meanwhile, Manny (Victor Rasuk) is busy pulling double shifts while his wife, Concetta (Shannyn Sossamon), cares for their sickly infant son in their run-down apartment. By night Manny works at a 24-hour bodega frequented by junkies, drug dealers, and prostitutes, and by day keeps the peace as a security guard at a welfare hotel. One of the residents at that hotel is Willy, a ten-year-old boy who lives with his mother (Illeana Douglas) and her abusive boyfriend. Willy begs for money on the street so he and Susie can get some fast food. But it's dangerous out there, because volatile gangster Romeo (Evan Ross) is still searching the streets for his brother's killer, and he won't hesitate to terrorize anyone unfortunate enough to cross his warpath. Lara Flynn Boyle, Brandon Routh, Desmond Harrington, and RZA co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerry Washington, Victor Rasuk, (more)
- 2009
A young man (Michael Cera) must fight a girl's (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven sinister ex-boyfriends in order to win her hand in this Universal Pictures' adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Oni Press comic book. Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright directs from a script he penned with Michael Bacall. Superhero veterans Chris Evans and Brandon Routh co-star in the action comedy as two of the seven ex-boyfriends. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Cera, Chris Evans, (more)
- 2009
Brandon Routh headlines this horror feature as Dylan Dog, Tiziano Sclavi's comic character previously hailed as the inspiration for the cult classic Euro horror comedy Cemetery Man. TMNT's Kevin Munroe helms the production from a script by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brandon Routh
A single guy suffering from a bad case of heartache invites an outwardly ideal couple to share his stylish apartment, only to second-guess his decision when the couple proves clueless about personal boundaries. Suddenly single after being dumped by his girlfriend during his marriage proposal and left in a lonely apartment when his roommate moves thousands of miles away, Scott (Brandon Routh) invites amiable strangers Ryan (Jessee Bradford) and Mary (Sophia Bush) to move in. When Ryan and Mary begin intruding on every aspect of Scott's life, including his burgeoning relationship with beautiful dream girl Leslie (Jennifer Morrison), Scott begins to wonder if the couple needs a third wheel to keep their relationship coasting. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brandon Routh, Jesse Bradford, (more)
Kevin Smith writes and directs his newest comedy for The Weinstein Co. with Zack & Miri Make a Porno, the story of two friends (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who get into the amateur porn business to combat their rising debt, only to realize their underlying feelings for each other while doing so. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, (more)
- 2007
- R
Director/co-screenwriter John Stuart Muller helms this lively comedy concerning the quirks of modern romance, and the complications that come when an outwardly loving couple becomes polyamorous. Appearances would suggest that published novelist Mason (Steve Sandvoss) and twenty-something fashion designer Samantha (Courtney Ford) are the perfect couple; though unmarried, they live together, sleep together and shower together. At Samantha's sister Allison's (Ellen Hollman) beautiful spring wedding, however, Sam reencounters her ex-boyfriend, James (Brandon Routh), a surprise guest at the event. The two rekindle their old romance. But Samantha isn't the only one in this marriage with a wandering eye, because Mason begins flirting heavily with the 18-year-old Olivia (Shoshana Bush); the committed scribe and his younger paramour sneak into the hot tub for a particularly steamy encounter. Later spotted by Mason as she attempts to slink out of James' room undetected, Samantha decides to coming clean about the affair. Mason's response proves entirely unexpected. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brandon Routh, Steve Sandvoss, (more)
The Man of Steel returns to the big screen with this continuation of the icon's film legacy that picks up after the events of the first two Christopher Reeve films. Some time has passed since the events of Superman II and the world has gotten used to life without Superman (Brandon Routh) ever since his puzzling disappearance years earlier. Upon his return, he finds a Metropolis that doesn't need him anymore, while Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has moved on with another young suitor Richard White (James Marsden) in the meantime. As the hero begins to tackle the fact that life on Earth has continued without him, he is forced to face his old arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) and restore the life that was once his. Directed by Bryan Singer from a script by the writing team of X-Men 2, Superman Returns marks a return to the screen for the man in tights, whose production history has seen many failed attempts including a famous near-miss from Tim Burton and Kevin Smith with Nicolas Cage in the lead role, along with another from director McG and writer J.J. Abrams (Lost). Singer eventually won the prestigious gig when he pitched the idea to not tackle the origin story again, but continue with director Richard Donner's original vision. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, (more)
Laura Prepon and Misha Collins star as the murderous pair whose deplorable crimes sent shock waves of terror rippling across Canada in director Joel Bender's unflinching look at the crimes of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. On the surface Bernardo (Collins) and Homolka (Prepon) were your average everyday Canadian couple; they had a nice house in the suburbs, a dog, lots of friends, and a bright future ahead of them. As Paul is singled out as the prime suspect in a series of particularly vicious rapes and Karla's sister dies under mysterious circumstances, however, a horrifying truth begins to emerge that will lead the pair down a particularly dark path. Could it be that the manipulative murderer used fear and intimidation to keep his wife silent about the reprehensible atrocities he so casually committed without guilt or remorse, or was Karla Homolka in fact an equal partner who simply used her sociopathic power of manipulation to convince authorities that she truly believed she was in mortal danger all along? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Prepon, Misha Collins, (more)
