Paul Rudd is comedy's MVP
Posted: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 7:00 AM by Paige Newman
Filed Under:
Movies
In awards season, it’s easy to forget that there are actors who may never be nominated for Academy Awards simply because of the genre they work in. Let’s hope this is not the fate of the ultra-talented Paul Rudd. One of the most dependably funny actors in Hollywood, Rudd is the MVP of comedy films. And he’s not one of those “only a starring role, please” snobs; for his good buddies in the Judd Apatow gang, he’ll take a supporting part or even a cameo.
Universal Pictures |
Talented and handsome ... sigh.
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Recently, my sister and I couldn’t decide on a movie. She wanted to see “Bolt” (I don’t do talking animals unless they’re created by Pixar) and I wanted to see “Quantum of Solace,” so we compromised with “Role Models,” and were treated to one of the most surprisingly funny movies I’ve seen in a while.
After seeing it, my sister said, “That’s one of those movies I’m going to end up watching every time it comes on cable.” Rudd is hilarious as a dissatisfied-with-his-life energy-drink salesman,
who doesn’t understand why coffee shops call large, Venti. After being sentenced to serve community service in a Big Brother-type organization, he gets paired with the role-playing, game-loving Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).
Watching “Role Models,” I realized how often I had enjoyed Rudd on film. I first noticed him as the leading man in “
Clueless,” but assumed he would go the way of “Sixteen Candles’” Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling, who was last seen in 1991’s “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”). But Rudd carved out his own path, picking off-beat films such as “
200 Cigarettes,” “
The Shape of Things” and “
Wet Hot American Summer” (which “Role Models” director David Wain helmed).
And then with 2004's “Anchorman,” the public finally got to find out just how funny Rudd is with the way he delivered lines such as, “It's called Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries... Yep, it's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good.” He went on to have supporting roles in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (and his classic, “You know how I know you’re gay” banter with Seth Rogen),” “Knocked Up” (the best part of that film is his trip to Vegas with Rogen), “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and his tripped out surfing instructor in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” He even guest starred on “Friends.”
Rudd didn’t give up his indie roots either, still appearing in films such as “P.S.,” “The Baxter” and “The Ten” and even guesting on the much missed cult TV series, “Veronica Mars.” Yeah, he’s made some clunkers, “The Object of My Affection,” “Over Her Dead Body” and “I Could Never Be Your Woman,” but they seem to occur when he makes the mistake of trying to play a standard leading man. But when he embraces his own strangeness, he scores. Just check out his dancing entrance on "The Daily Show."
Are you a Rudd fan or is there an actor or actress you think is award-worthy, but doesn’t quite fit into the Academy’s serious categories? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
