The newly premiered Out of Order gives Superman’s Brandon Routh a chance to flex his comedy chops as he plays not one but two opposing lawyers.

Please stay through the end of the credits.

John Slater (Brandon Routh) dreams big but delivers small—he’s perpetually late, disheveled, and hasn’t even tried his first case. When his supermodel girlfriend Lisa Oh (Tao Okamoto) dumps him, John vows to turn his life around and win her back. His chance comes when he’s hired by attorney Daniella Osborne (Brooke Shields) at a snobbish rival firm. But before he can quit his old job, his boss Jerry Lipton (Michael Potts) has a heart attack and pleads with him to take one last case—representing his niece.

Trying to juggle both gigs, John quickly discovers a nightmare twist: his two firms are on opposite sides of the same lawsuit and located within the same building. Desperate, he dons a blonde wig and adopts a mustachioed alter ego, “Jack,” to stay undercover while helping his sharp-tongued best friend and co-worker Paul Clouse (Sam Huntington) represent the quirky and charismatic inventor Sue Levin (Krysta Rodriguez) in her battle against pharmaceutical giant SuperGen—ironically, the very company he’s also defending.

The idea of Brandon Routh playing a character with two personas is hilarious on its own, considering he’s already portrayed both Kal-El and Clark Kent—two identities so convincing that no one recognizes they’re the same person. You’d think someone would catch on to John’s scheme in Out of Order! Well, someone besides Gustav (Luis Guzmán), anyway—and that’s only because Judge Stevenson (Sandra Bernhard) holds both of John’s personas in contempt at different times. Watching the film, it’s hard not to imagine what comedians like Robin Williams or Jim Carrey might have done with the same material. Granted, it’s an indie production, not a studio comedy.

Comedies feel especially vital during the polarizing times we live in. That’s why the pitch for Out of Order immediately piqued my interest—billed as a “madcap legal comedy” starring Brandon Routh. When executed well, the legal world offers endless opportunities for humor. I love a good comedy as much as anyone, and recent indie gems like Bad Shabbos prove that laughs don’t require studio backing. What we have here is both a physical and character-driven comedy—the kind Hollywood used to make all the time. Honestly, I’d take an old-fashioned studio comedy like this any day.

It also helps that director and co-writer Guy Jacobson knows his subject matter. A former Wall Street attorney, Jacobson brings insider perspective to the chaos of law firm life. Out of Order marks the Israeli-born filmmaker’s first feature since 2009—and, as far as I can tell, his first narrative feature as director. Working with co-writer Megan Freels Johnston, they find sharp comedic beats by pitting a massive corporate firm against a scrappy small office—two hilariously different worlds.

I watched Out of Order on Monday evening, and while I chuckled more than a few times, I couldn’t help but wonder how much stronger the experience might have been with a live audience. Unfortunately, the press screener setup didn’t allow me to watch through a TV app, so I ended up casting from my laptop to my 43″ screen—resulting in frequent picture breakups. Not the ideal viewing experience, to say the least.

Out of Order is the sort of comedy Hollywood doesn’t make much anymore—a fun, farcical throwback with just enough heart to keep things grounded. Brandon Routh proves he’s more than capable of carrying a film like this, while the rest of the ensemble keeps the energy up. It may not be perfect, but it’s clever, charming, and refreshingly unpretentious.

DIRECTOR: Guy Jacobson
SCREENWRITERS: Guy Jacobson and Megan Freels Johnston
CAST: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Krysta Rodriguez, Tao Okamoto, Asher Grodman, Michael Potts, Whit Washing, Ian Unterman, America Olivo, Ilana Becker, Luis Guzmán, with Sandra Bernhard and Brooke Shields

Out of Order held its world premiere during the 2025 Chelsea Film Festival. Grade: 4/5

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