James Marsden’s 13 Love Triangle Films - Cinematic Calling Cards
Cinematic Calling Cards is a new column on GeekTyrant that takes a fun look at actors and filmmakers with recurring themes or character types in their films, whether they be coincidental, serendipitous, or otherwise.
Today we shine a light on the Cinematic Calling Card of James Marsden. The actor has carved out a niche for himself (or has been pigeonholed, if you wanna be mean about it) as “The Other Man.” The average moviegoer can probably name three or four films where Marsden has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to love triangles, even though he's never played a clear villain or a one-dimensional, cliché jerk. Despite almost always playing attractive, goodhearted, and well-intentioned characters, he has been in (at least) 13 films where someone is romantically caught between two people — and he has mostly been on the losing end of the situation, with only a few exceptions.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for just about all of these films!
X-Men Franchise (2000-2014)
Marsden's work as the mutant Cyclops in the X-Men franchise spans 14 years and four films — X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), X- Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). The first X-Men film serves as ground zero for Marsden's career as the good-natured and responsible guy who has the girl, and who, for some reason, audiences root against.
In a Love Triangle with: Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman
Winner: It's a bit tragic for all three of the characters in The Last Stand, with Janssen killing Marsden in the opening minutes of the film, and Jackman killing Janssen at the end of it. Thankfully, the slate was wiped clean with the events of Days of Future Past, which brought back Janssen and Marsden, who make a brief appearance at the end of the movie, alive and once again in a relationship — let the love triangle recommence (sequels permitting)!
The Notebook (2004)
The film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel The Notebook taught us that love can create miracles… unless you’re James Marsden, of course. His character, Lon Hammond, is “handsome, funny smart, sophisticated, and charming,” but ends up in a body cast, cheated on, and without the girl.
In a Love Triangle with: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
Winner: Gosling, who also got the girl in real life, for a time.
The 24th Day (2004)
In The 24th Day, Marsden is once again "the other man," but in this case, Marsden is involved in a homosexual encounter with a married man that has some serious consequences and dire repercussions. After his wife dies in a tragic accident after learning that she is HIV positive, Tom (Scott Speedman) holds Dan (Marsden) responsible for infecting him and, in turn, his wife with the virus. He lures Dan to his apartment and holds him captive while he takes Dan's blood to be tested.
In a Love Triangle with: Scott Speedman, Thea Chaloner
Winner: Sadly, nobody wins in this R-rated after school special.
Heights (2005)
Heights isn’t the typical love triangle, it’s more of a love spider-web. Amidst the complicated and coincidental tangle of former, secret, and potential lovers that Marsden and his fiancé (Elizabeth Banks) are caught in, the bottom line remains the same: Marsden doesn’t end up with the girl — he gets the guy, though.
Love Web: Too many to name in this interconnected drama
Winners: Just watch the film, it's actually quite good. It definitely beats the hell out of Marsden and Banks' most recent outing together, Walk of Shame (2014), which nearly qualified for this list.
Superman Returns (2006)
Usually Superman swoops in to save the day, but in Superman Returns, he comes back after a five year absence from Earth to steal the girl. Marsden plays Richard White, the fiancé of Lois Lane and nephew of Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White. Richard's a pilot, a great dad to his and Lois' son, and an all around standup guy... he's just not Superman. Also, not to get all Maury Povich in here, but he is NOT the father.
In a Love Triangle with: Kate Bosworth, Brandon Routh
Winners: Amy Adams and Henry Cavill
Enchanted (2007)
In Enchanted, Marsden and Amy Adams embody the entire catalogue of Disney princes and princesses, only in this live-action/animated self-parody, they don't ride off into the sunset together. Even though Marsden doesn't end up with Adams, the story sets up a love square that lets everyone involved live happily ever after.
In a Love Square with: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel
Winner: Everybody! Adams and Dempsey end up together in New York, and Marsden takes Menzel back to his kingdom of Andalasia.
27 Dresses (2008)
This cookie cutter rom-com is one of the few movies where Marsden is the underdog that the audience roots for. He also finally ends up with the girl... it’s just too bad that girl is Katherine Heigl.
In a Love Triangle with: Katherine Heigl, Edward Burns
Winner: Marsden marries Heigl and gets the TKO. I think Burns took a fall, though.
Straw Dogs (2011)
This remake of the 1971 film of the same name is yet another film where Marsden is in a relationship with Kate Bosworth (married this time) and must fight off her ex-boyfriend — only this time around Marsden is the one sporting Clark Kent glasses and saving the day.
In a Love Triangle with: Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård
Winner: Marsden takes down Skarsgård and his friends.
Best of Me (2014)
In Best of Me, Marsden rekindles a romance with his now married high school love and is caught in another Nicholas Sparks adaptation where he ultimately doesn’t end up with the girl. And in this case, it ends much more tragically for Marsden.
In a Love Triangle with: Michelle Monaghan, Sebastian Arcelus
Winner: Monaghan's son, whose life is saved by Marsden's organs.
The D Train (2015)
Premiering earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, The D Train marks Marsden's third film playing a bisexual or gay character in a love triangle. The film revolves around Jack Black, who comes to Los Angeles to convince Marsden, the most popular guy from their high school and star of a national ad campaign, to attend their 20-year reunion to boost attendance. Black gets more than he bargains for when a drunken night takes an unexpected turn for the straight, married man.
In a Love Triangle with: Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn
Winner: Audiences, when they get to see this movie.
