The Best Seth Rogen Movies

From 'Pineapple Express' to 'Knocked Up' and 'Superbad,' here are the best and funniest Seth Rogen movies of all time.

The 40 Year Old Virgin
Universal Pictures

Image via Universal Pictures

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Seth Rogen has made a name for himself in Hollywood as everyone's favorite stoner goofball. Since 2005's The 40-Year Old Virgin, the actor has racked up a filmography of mostly-hilarious movies, from Superbad to Pineapple Express to Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Rogen has of course created these comedy masterpieces with the help of co-stars like James Franco and Katherine Heigl, as well as his This Is The End co-director, Evan Goldberg, who also co-wrote the film.

Rogen has also expanded his horizons and delved into dramas and classics, too. 2011's 50/50 and 2015's Steve Jobs proved that in addition to comedy chops, the pot-smoking chucklehead can play the heck out of a dramatic role. He even voices beloved '90s warthog Pumbaa in this year's Lion King remake—he really can do it all. Of course, he brought it back to his roots by producing this year's Good Boys, which is like Superbad, but worse, because pre-teens. It takes a special kind of entertainer to bring tears of both joy and sorrow to our eyes, and for that, we'll always celebrate Rogen. These are the 10 best Seth Rogen movies.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Cast of 'sTeve Jobs' at the 53rd New York Film Festival

Director: Danny Boyle
Also Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels

The Danny Boyle-directed biopic of the eponymous Apple CEO (Fassbender) found Seth Rogen taking on the role of Steve Wozniak, who worked with Jobs in the earliest days of Apple. The film earned four Golden Globe nominations, with Rogen standing out in one of his more serious roles. The real Steve Wozniak praised Rogen’s portrayal (the two met in order for Rogen to study his mannerisms). Wozniak stated that he was honored that Rogen represented him properly.

50/50 (2011)

'50/50' stars Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick

Director: Jonathan Levine
Also Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston

Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have worked together a handful of times, but this poignant tear-jerker is their best work. In 50/50, the markedly different best friends navigate life after Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with cancer. They start off as polar opposites: Adam is preoccupied with timeliness and planning, while Kyle (Rogen) is more concerned with having fun in the present. Their personalities complement each other through the film more and more as Adam embraces Kyle’s fly-by-night attitude and begins to feel like he’s living life to the fullest.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Director: Judd Apatow
Also Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Jane Lynch

Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen teamed up to direct and produce this classic 2000s comedy. When Andy (Carell), a 40-year-old stock clerk joins his co-workers for a card game, the conversation turns to bragging about past sexual encounters. As they go around the table reminiscing, the friends realize that Andy has never had sex. Together, this infectiously funny group goes to great lengths to help Andy lose his virginity. Rogen, who plays Andy’s co-worker Cal, improvised a lot of his on-screen dialogue, allowing the cast to play off of each others’ natural humor.

Superbad (2007)

superbad

Director: Greg Mottola
Also Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg began writing the script for thq quintessential millennial high school comedy when they were 13 years old. In the film, unpopular high school boys Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) want to lose their virginities in preparation for college. This seemingly simple endeavor turns into a full-fledged adventure involving liquor, fake IDs, and a raucous party. Rogen plays Officer Michaels, a cocky police officer hell-bent on reliving his youth and encouraging wild behavior. The on-screen chemistry with this cast shows Rogen hitting his stride with crude comedy, and began to cement him as a heavy hitter in the genre.

Knocked Up (2007)

 

Director: Judd Apatow
Also Starring: Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Siegel

Rogen shines as a leading actor in Knocked Up. In this romantic comedy. Rogen plays an immature stoner who has a one-night encounter with mature, career-driven Alison Scott (Heigl). When Alison becomes pregnant, the two are forced to face the changes their lives will go through while bringing a baby into the world. As they work through their many personality differences, the couple is surprised at how compatible they end up being.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks and Kevin Smith at the afterparty for 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno'

Director: Kevin Smith
Also Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes

Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) are roommates who can’t seem to pay their bills on time. When their lights are turned off, Zack devises a plan to generate more income--making a porno. Zack and Miri constantly emphasize that their friendship is platonic, asserting that they are simply roommates who make porn together for money. As their success with parody porn grows, though, the feelings between the two get more complicated, leading them to examine the reality of their relationship. Rogen plays a more multifaceted character than usual, and showed us he would be capable of more serious roles in the future.

Pineapple Express (2008)

James Franco and Seth Rogen

Director: David Gordon Green
Also Starring: James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride

There were a slew of stoner comedies released in the early 2000s, and Pineapple Express joined the ranks. The film, named after a rare weed strain, follows the crazy sequence of events that happens after a parole officer (Rogen) witnesses a murder while trying to buy weed from his drug dealer (Franco). The film is co-produced by Judd Apatow with a screenplay by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. This winning combination of talent gave Rogen more room to showcase his skill as a comedic writer and actor.

This Is The End (2013)

Evan Goldberg, James Franco and Seth Rogen at a special screening of 'This Is The End'

Director: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Also Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride

This Is The End was Rogen’s first foray into directing. The film has an underlying hilarity to it, with each actor playing an exaggerated version of themselves. When Jay Baruchel arrives in Los Angeles to visit Rogen, he explains that he doesn’t really care for the actor’s industry friends, and would like to spend time with him alone. Rogen drags Baruchel to a party at James Franco’s mansion, where an earthquake erupts the group into apocalyptic chaos. As people die throughout the movie, each actor is forced to come to grips with their true selves. Rogen has previously been dubbed an actor who plays the same role in a number of movies, and This Is The End pushed back at that, illustrating that self-awareness and comedy are not mutually exclusive.

The Disaster Artist (2017)

Seth Rogen and James Franco at the Golden Globes

Director: James Franco
Also Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Allison Brie

The Disaster Artist is based on Greg Sestero’s book, and chronicles the author’s relationship with Tommy Wiseau. Wiseau, an enigmatic writer, producer, and director created 2003 film The Room, which opened to critical revulsion, but has since garnered a cult following for its unconventional execution. When Sestero (Dave Franco) and Wiseau (James Franco) become friends in acting class, Wiseau takes special interest in helping Sestero achieve his dream of becoming an actor. Sestero moves in with Wiseau, and becomes a lead actor in Wiseau’s film. Rogen plays Sandy Schklair, the first assistant director of The Room, and captures the annoyance and frustration with Wiseau experienced by most of the film’s crew.

Neighbors (2014)

Seth Rogen and Zac Efron

Director: Nicholas Stoller
Also Starring: Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Neighbors is another film where Seth Rogen truly embodies the hopeless feeling of coming of age. Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) Radner are adults struggling to preserve a sliver of their former selves while balancing work and their newborn child. When a fraternity moves in next door, Mac and Kelly insist on asserting themselves as adults while remaining cool to the frat boys. But when their baby almost eats a condom, they decide to wage war against their neighbors in a series of battles ranging from silly to chaotic. Through the film, Rogen retains all of the humor we loved about him in his beginning films, while acknowledging that he’s growing up.

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