Chad Lowe Movies
His career consistently overshadowed by that of his Brat Packer older brother, actor Chad Lowe has nevertheless endured to deliver numerous compelling performances in both television and film. From his unforgettable, Emmy-winning turn as the HIV-positive Jessie McKenna on television's Life Goes On to his turn as beloved singer John Denver in Take Me Home: The John Denver Story, Lowe's wide and varied roles have been a testament to his onscreen versatility. The Dayton, OH, native moved to Los Angeles with his family at the age of nine, and by 15, he knew his true calling. Inspired by the success of his brother Rob and encouraged by neighbor Martin Sheen to explore his talent, Lowe relocated to the East Coast to study acting under Alan Savage. Numerous theater productions were soon to follow, and after several small roles in television and film, Lowe charmed audiences by taking the lead in the 1984 sitcom Spencer. A gender-bending role in the 1989 comedy Nobody's Perfect provided more exposure for the emerging actor, though it wasn't until his breakthrough performance in the 1991-1993 seasons of Life Goes On that audiences truly realized his dramatic abilities. Taking inspiration for the role of HIV-positive Jessie from the AIDS-related death of his former manager Tim Wood, Lowe offered a moving portrayal of a young man's attempts to live with the deadly virus. In the years that followed, he could often be spotted in such made-for-television features as Candles in the Dark (1993) and Me and My Hormones (1996), and his role on the 1996 season of Melrose Place found him cast among some of television's hottest young stars. In September of 1997, Lowe married actress Hilary Swank, and that same year the couple would appear onscreen together in the Tinseltown satire Quiet Days in Hollywood. Lowe would continue to alternate between television and film, and roles in Floating (1999) and the television series Popular found him increasingly busy. After moving into directing with an episode of television's Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit, Lowe directed his Oscar-winning wife in the short films The Audition (2000) and The Space Between (2002). In 2003, Lowe could be seen in the romantic drama Red Betsy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 1990
In this drama, a group of impressionable students become the unwitting subjects for an evil white supremacist's schemes to twist the teachings of a prominent professor to promote a highly subversive form of neo-Nazism. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this adolescent-oriented, loose remake of Some Like It Hot, a lovestruck teenage boy is so desperate to be near his new beloved that he dresses up like a girl and joins the women's tennis team. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Lowe, Gail O'Grady, (more)
When a man returns to Brooklyn, he finds his brother a gang member under the leadership of an old rival who framed him for the murder of a policeman ten years prior. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Fahey, Chad Lowe, (more)
- 1988
- PG
This half-hearted avant garde feature is a thinly disguised exploitation feature for the British synth-pop duo The Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tenant and Chris Lowe). They travel though London where they encounter a variety of colorful characters. Several songs appear as well, including the title track, "West End Girls", and a song with the legendary Dusty Springfield, "What Have I Done To Deserve This?". ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, (more)
- 1988
We're told that Apprentice to Murder is a true story. If so, we'll steer clear of the film's Pennsylvania Dutch locale in the future. A series of murders occur in a sleepy community, and suspicion immediately falls on the local "character": a self-styled faithhealer and mystic. Donald Sutherland plays this worthy, while Chad Lowe is cast as his nonplussed assistant. Though set in Pennsylvania, Apprentice to Murder was actually shot in Norway. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Chad Lowe, (more)
- 1988
The morning invoked by the title of this made-for-TV drama is April 19, 1775. On that day, the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired, signalling the start of the American Revolution. Departing from known history, novelist Howard Fast (who wrote the book on which this film is based) proposes that the skirmish between the Colonial militia and the British troops on Concord Green, Massachusetts, was precipitated by fervent American patriot Solomon Chandler (Rip Torn). Later, Chandler commandeered guerilla raids against the British, activities which involved the film's main protagonist, 15-year-old Adam Cooper (Chad Lowe). Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Urich and Susan Blakely co-star in this Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, originally telecast April 24, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Urich, (more)
- 1986
In this drama, a formerly famous star returns from an insane asylum and tries to make a comeback. Despite the objections of her teen-age son, the woman embarks upon a risky romance with a dashing stranger. The story is based on a novel by James Kirkwood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1984
- PG13
This is an uneven modern remake of A Yank at Oxford (1938) from writer-director Robert Boris, the man behind such diverse earlier productions as Some Kind of Hero (1981) and Doctor Detroit (1983). Rob Lowe stars as Nick Di Angelo, an American hustler and parking attendant in Las Vegas who falls in love at first sight with a beautiful, classy British woman, Lady Victoria (Amanda Pays). He follows her back to England and learns that she is a student at the prestigious Oxford University. Intent on wooing the object of his affection despite their obviously different locations in the social strata, Nick manages to finagle his way into an admission at the school by paying a computer hacker for some illegal tampering. With his arrogant manner and self-centered worldview, Nick quickly offends nearly everyone he encounters, except fellow American expatriate Rona (Ally Sheedy), who becomes his only friend. Nick also secures a spot on the rowing team, an experience that builds his character. A typical example of the mid-'80s "Rat Pack" film, Oxford Blues featured a soundtrack with several forgettable rock songs written expressly for the movie, interjected at intervals into the narrative through music video-style sequences. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, (more)
- 1984
A 17-year-old boy (Chad Lowe) is killed in an automobile accident. As the facts begin to assert themselves, it appears that the boy actually took his own life. His mother (Mariette Hartley) and sister (Dana Hill) try to learn the truth, even as his father (Howard Hesseman) digs in his heels and refuses to face the possibility of a suicide. While this plot line is unravelling, the boy's best friend (Charlie Sheen) is tormented by the possibility that he could have prevented the tragedy. The emphasis in Silence of the Heart is the effect of suicide on the survivors rather than the victim, and the realization that one does not have to be "crazy" to end one's own existence. This made-for-TV movie was originally telecast October 30, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
On a bitterly cold January day in 1982, Air Florida flight #90 crashed into the Potomac River while approaching Washington DC. Though many passengers were killed, many more were rescued. Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac is the story of the survivors, the rescuers, and the anxious friends and relatives of both the living and the dead. The crash itself is never shown, while the icy Potomac is represented by a heated Hollywood pool and chunks of Styrofoam (the actors do their best, however, to appear to be chilled to the bone). Thankfully, the cast is comprised of character actors rather than stars or "celebrities," adding an air of authenticity to the proceedings. Made for TV, Flight No. 90: Disaster on the Potomac was first telecast April 1, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
