Book of Love
(2004)
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Directed by: Charles Shyer
Starring: Frances O'Connor, Simon Baker, Gregory Smith
Simon plays: David
Synopsis: A seemingly perfect all-American couple befriends a charismatic teenager.
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Affair of the Necklace
(2001)
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Directed by: Charles Shyer
Starring: Hilary Swank, Jonathan Pryce, Simon Baker, Adrien Brody, Brian Cox, Joely Richardson, Christopher Walken
Simon plays: Rétaux de Vilette, gigolo.
Synopsis: Court intrigue set in Paris, 1786, as a woman tries to regain her family home and good name with the help of a charming gigolo.
High point: Simon's character arc, which ends in bruises.
Low point: A plot that doesn't quite hang together well enough to main interest.
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Red Planet
(2001)
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Directed by: Antony Hoffman
Starring: Val Kilmore, Carrie-Anne Moss, Benjamin Bratt, Tom Sizemore, Simon Baker, Terence Stamp
Simon plays: Chip Pettengil, terraformer and best-looking astronaut on the ship.
Synopsis: The exploits of a doomed exploration team on Mars in 2025.
High point: Coober Pedy in Australia's outback doubling for the red planet. (The film was also shot in Jordan.)
Low points: The plastic garbage bag Simon wears, the conveniently short-circuiting robot, and the writers' abysmal knowledge of evolutionary biology.
Simon on Chip: "He is a last-minute replacement on this mission and as such he's not quite as driven or as focused as the rest of the team. He's a little bit hesitant and a little bit nervous about the whole thing. And a bit of an outsider. I thoroughly enjoyed playing him - he had just the right amount of vulnerability. Different aspects of his personality are revealed throughout the various situations he finds himself in. He's very real, very complex, not just some heroic character."
Simon on filming in Jordon: "It was all quite surreal - 'Lawrence of Arabia' meets '2001.' To step out into that backdrop on the first day of shooting was just breathtaking. There were Bedouin tents with pillows and rugs on the ground, and people serving us cinnamon tea. Everyday lunch was a banquet. It was just extraordinary."
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Sunset Strip
(2000)
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Directed by: Adam Collis
Starring: Simon Baker, Anna Friel, Nick Stahl, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg
Simon plays: Michael Scott, colour-blind photographer
Synopsis: 24 hours in the lives of various young people on Sunset Strip in 1972, including Simon in a romantic lead, displaying flashes of the laconic intensity of Nick Fallin - only with longer hair.
High point: Hilarious photoshoot with a horse.
Low point: Too much stuff to fast-forward through to find the good bits.
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Ride with the Devil
(1999)
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Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Skeet Ulrich, Tobey Maguire, Jewel Kilcher, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Baker
Simon plays: George Clyde, a southern gentleman resplendent in curling golden locks and a billowing orange shirt (believe it or not, this does look better than it sounds).
Synopsis: Bushwhackers from the south kill invading Union Yanks, or something.
High point: The joke about recycled bacon.
Low point: Simon's character dies 90 minutes into the movie, after which it turns into a sappy domestic drama.
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Secret Men's Business
(1999, TV movie)
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Directed by: Ken Cameron
Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Marcus Graham, Simon Baker, Jeremy Sims, Jeremy Callaghan, Maya Stange
Simon plays: Andy Greville
Synopsis: Five men gather at a beach house after the funeral of their old school master and deal with the "unfinished business of youth and the inarticulate silence of men".
High point: Shower scene, towel snapping on naked butts... ahem. Or maybe this: "What's happened to Andy? I mean, he was always a bit different, that's what I liked about him, but he was never a wanker."
Low point: Simon was nominated for an Australian Film Institute award for his role in this film (Best Performance by an Actor in a Telefeature or Miniseries, 2000) and didn't win, dammit.
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Judas Kiss
(1998)
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Directed by: Sebastian Gutierrez
Starring: Simon Baker, Gil Bellows, Carla Gugino, Alan Rickman, Til Schweiger, Emma Thompson
Simon plays: Junior Armstrong
Synopsis: Someone gets kidnapped for some reason, stuff happens and things go wrong.
High point: Sweet flashback montage showing how Junior met Coco.
Low point: The Brit actors' American accents.
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Restaurant
(1998)
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Directed by: Eric Bross
Starring: Adrien Brody, Elise Neal, David Moscow, Simon Baker, Catherine Kellner, Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Simon plays:Kenny
Synopsis: Follows a bunch of young waiters at a popular New Jersey restaurant,
High point: Simon in a tank top.
Low point: The whole thing turns into a bit of a soap opera by the end.
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Most Wanted
(1997)
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Directed by: David Hogan
Starring: Keenan Ivory Wayans, Jon Voight, Jill Hennessy
Simon plays: Steve Barnes, a journalist.
Synopsis: Death-row inmate recruited for evil. It's all very, very silly.
High point: Simon saying, "Who the hell are you?" to Jon Voight.
Low point: "Sometimes I plan shit" is fairly representative of the very, very silly script.
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LA Confidential
(1997)
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Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito
Simon plays: Matt Reynolds, up-and-coming actor
Synopsis: Film noir crime story set in 50s Hollywood.
High point: Good movie, as we all know, but Simon was gorgeous and memorable as the naive gay actor who comes to a bad end.
Low point: Simon wanted the role that went to Guy Pearce, and I wish he'd gotten it. As it stands, he has about 3 minutes of screentime.
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