Paul Rudd is a national treasure. Thanks to his suspicious ability to never appear to age, he is also likely a genetic wonder or, perhaps, in deep in an evil partnership with Satan. But if the hilarious actor has sold his soul to the devil in order to maintain a youthful disposition well into middle age, it certainly hasn't diminished his appeal as a reliably funny, consistently charming, and overwhelmingly popular addition to film and TV.
Many young people may have first been introduced to Rudd when he played a condescending academic in the '90s classic Clueless, a teen comedy that successfully skirted around the issue of whether or not it was actually kind of weird that Alicia Silverstone's Cher makes out with her former stepbrother at the end. In the decades since, Rudd has worked consistently, even making his way into the fringes of the Marvel Comics Universe with his role as the titular superhero Ant-Man in 2015. He's appeared in dramatic parts, too, and dabbled in television with memorable guest spots on sitcoms like The Simpsons, Parks and Recreation, Friends, and Reno 911!
But, it's Rudd's place in big screen comedies that has truly come to define his career. As a prominent presence in filmmaker Judd Apatow's company of big-hearted man-children, Rudd has left an indelible mark in such 2000's gems as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Anchorman, and Wet Hot American Summer balancing sarcastic one-liners with an ability to convey depth of emotion among scat jokes and acid trips.
Even after removing his TV appearances, it's hard to narrow Rudd's IMDB page down to just a handful of his work that's most worth seeing. And we will admit that we haven't sampled his 1992 debut, "Jamie's Secret"—although color us intrigued. But, if we have to choose the best Paul Rudd movies, these are our picks. Can't wait to see how the remaining 5,000 years of his pact with Lucifer pans out at the local cineplex.
Clueless
Knocked Up
The 40 Year-Old Virgin
Wet Hot American Summer
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
This Is 40
Romeo + Juliet
I Love You, Man
If you believe what Hollywood tells us, there is an entire cottage industry of people out there hired to play various roles for various sad sacks who need wedding dates or can't fill out their own wedding party without a little help from strangers. Nevertheless, Rudd leads a cast that also includes Jason Segel and Rashida Jones, in this good-natured take on the trope. Jones and Rudd have winning chemistry, especially in the movie's "slappa da bass" scene.