Paul Rudd has had a long career in Hollywood, all the while appearing to never age. The actor got his start in a commercial for Nintendo in 1991, then in a recurring role in the TV show Sisters. He then transitioned into movies, where he quickly became a recognizable face in studio comedies alongside some of the greatest comedy stars.
Nowadays, Paul Rudd's career has spanned many different genres. He's battled supernatural threats in the MCU and Ghostbusters franchise, married Lisa Kudrow's character in Friends, and has made memorable cameos in oddball comedies of the 2000s and 2010s. However, the best movies starring Paul Rudd are a cut above the rest.
10 Clueless
Paul Rudd's first-ever movie role remains one of his most iconic to date. The 1995 teen comedy Clueless found the future Avenger playing Josh, the romantic interest of the movie's lead, who is played by Alicia Silverstone. Although the two teenagers begin the movie as opposing opposites, they eventually relent to their deeper feelings for one another.
Clueless has also remained one of the most popular cult classics of the late '90s. Most critics saw it as a funny and charming re-telling of the Jane Austen novel Emma. Others feel that Clueless is responsible for having a life of its own, which has continued to follow Rudd around even thirty years later, not that the actor minds it being one of his career-defining roles.
9 Wet Hot American Summer
Aside from being a teen heartthrob in the late 90s, Rudd also proved he can hold his own in an ensemble of comedy elites. Wet Hot American Summer was released in 2001, It was directed by David Wain and stars many members of the late '90s sketch comedy troupe known as The State, including Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black.
In the movie, Rudd plays Andy, a rebellious teenage counselor at Camp Firewood who is often disrespectful to his girlfriend Katie. Despite negative reviews, the movie has become a cult classic in the comedy world, spawning a prequel and sequel series on Netflix, both of which feature Rudd returning as his now-iconic character.
8 Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
As opposed to Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy features a much smaller ensemble for Rudd to stand out in. In the Adam McKay-directed comedy, Rudd plays sportscaster Brian Fantana, one-fourth of the San Diego news team which includes Will Ferrell's egomaniacal and brash Ron Burgundy.
A self-proclaimed womanizer, Rudd spends most of the movie as Fantana attempting (and often failing) to seduce women around his workplace. This includes an infamous scene where Fantana puts on a cologne that causes chaos around the office for its awful odor. However, Rudd truly shines in this movie when acting opposite Steve Carell's dim-witted Brick Tamland.
7 I Love You, Man
The 2009 comedy I Love You, Man finds Paul Rudd playing a man with no friends whose newfound bromance with Jason Segel's character complicates his impending wedding. It's a solid role that shows Rudd doing what he does best: having stellar chemistry with cast mates. It's particularly fruitful for Rudd and Segel, who had previously starred in movies together.
Particularly, it's hard to not be charmed as Rudd and Segel's characters bond over their mutual love for the rock band Rush. While the band appears during a scene where the two attend a concert together (which involves lots of them playing air bass guitar), it also results in a triumphant ending scene set to the band's hit song "Limelight."
6 Dinner For Schmucks
As if Anchorman didn't prove that the comedic chemistry between Paul Rudd and Steve Carell was fantastic, the two reunited for the 2010 comedy Dinner for Schmucks. Rudd plays Tim, whose opportunity for a promotion requires him to bring an eccentric stranger to a dinner party for the purpose of showing them off in mockery alongside all the other guests.
This quest happens to align with Tim's run-in with Barry, played by Carell, a bizarre loner who taxidermies mice. Although the two are initially at odds due to Barry's misunderstandings of their agreement, Tim ends up warming to the lovable stranger. Rudd does a great job playing a straight man in a cast of weirdos, which includes Zach Galifianakis as Barry's manipulative boss.
5 Our Idiot Brother
Although Rudd is skilled at playing the straight man in a cast of oddballs, he's also just as skilled at playing the odd man out. That's certainly the case with the 2011 comedy Our Idiot Brother, where he plays Ned, the dimwitted and disruptive brother to his ambitious sisters, played by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer.
The movie sees Rudd reuniting with many former female co-stars, including Banks, Rashida Jones, and Kathryn Hahn. Many reviewers felt that the movie was carried by Rudd's charming if oftentimes frustrating-to-watch performance as a man wreaking havoc in his family's lives. Despite what its title would suggest, viewers will likely walk away loving Rudd's character.
4 This Is 40
Paul Rudd made a memorable appearance in the Judd Apatow-directed Knocked Up as husband to Leslie Mann's character. The two actors reprised their roles in a spin-off centered around their characters, confronting the age of 40 while raising two daughters and dealing with typical parental issues. Rudd does a great job, but he is not the standout performer here.
That would be Melissa McCarthy, who plays a minor role as a parent who Rudd and Mann's characters have a school conflict with. In a scene where the trio has a meeting with the principal, McCarthy completely steals the show with her violent threats towards Rudd and Mann. The only thing funnier is the blooper reel for this scene.
3 They Came Together
At first glance, They Came Together pairs Paul Rudd with Amy Poehler for a romantic comedy. However, this is a guerilla reunion for Wet Hot American Summer, directed again by David Wain and featuring some true examples of cringe comedy. The movie parodies romantic comedies and their cheap writing more than it embodies a truly sweet movie itself.
While Rudd is a standout as always, the movie's supporting cast also shines in this movie. Critics very much appreciated the movie's wackier aspects, though it may be a tough watch for those who are used to Rudd in his more family-friendly roles. Nevertheless, it's a perfect movie for those who love Wet Hot American Summer.
2 Ant-Man
In 2015, Paul Rudd officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Scott Lang, a thief who is hoping to reconnect with his ex-wife and daughter Cassie after being released from prison. Rudd perfectly embodies this character attempting to get back on his feet, which includes a brief stint working for Baskin-Robbins. However, Lang lucks out when he meets Hank Pym.
Equipped with Pym's shrinking suit, Lang is recruited by the former S.H.I.E.L.D. worker to steal similar technology from Darren Cross, his rival. The movie jump-started Rudd's role as a more comedic sector of the MCU, which is all about to change with the third movie, Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, pitting the shrinking thief against Kang the Conqueror.
1 Ghostbusters: Afterlife
A third Ghostbusters movie had been in development hell since the 1990s, but it didn't come to fruition until 2021 with Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Taking place over 30 years after the original movies, it follows the estranged grandchildren of Harold Ramis' Egon Spengler, who discover his former ghost-busting technology as a supernatural threat looms over middle America.
Paul Rudd appears in the movie as summer science teacher Mr. Grooberson, whose interest in the Ghostbusters connects him with Mckenna Grace's Phoebe. It also results in Paul Rudd taking a Rick Moranis-esque role, as he is possessed by Vinz Clortho and briefly transforms into the demon dog, becoming the servant to the Mesopotamian deity Gozer.