But did he work for scale?
One of the subtler pleasures of watching the not-altogether-subtle ``Superman Returns " is the care that was taken with the casting. It's not just that Brandon Routh , in the title role, bears such a resemblance to Christopher Reeve (with Peter Gallagher's eyebrows thrown in). There's the presence in small parts of Noel Neill and Jack Larsen , who played Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen , respectively, in the '50s Superman television series. And Eva Marie Saint , as Ma Kent , being reunited (sort of) half a century later with her ``On the Waterfront" swain, Marlon Brando . Brando does a voice-from-the-grave turn (both real and imagined) as Superman's father.
Our favorite bit of casting, though, is easy to miss. That familiar-looking man briefly seen playing a space shuttle flight engineer is Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic (above and inset during a recent promotion in Toronto).
He's not the first captain of industry to show up on-screen. And, as with Branson, whatever role is being played usually connects with the plutocrat's real-life existence.
How to explain Donald Trump (in his pre-``Apprentice" days) playing Waldo's father in the movie version of ``The Little Rascals" ? That raises a larger question: How to explain Donald Trump?
No billionaire acting can top that of Rupert Murdoch , in the role of himself, as a guest voice on ``The Simpsons" in 1999. ``I'm billionaire tyrant Rupert Murdoch," he says, introducing himself when Homer Simpson shows up in the media mogul's skybox at the Super Bowl. Murdoch utters the words with an aplomb worthy of Lex Luthor .
MARK FEENEY 
