Over the past 30 years, Paul Rudd has starred in more than 60 films, putting his comedic and dramatic chops on full display. His first film appearance was in the Alicia Silverstone-led Clueless, which was released during the same year that Rudd played Tommy Doyle in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. He then went on to play Brian Fantana in the Anchorman films, which helped cement his status as one of America's greatest comedic actors.
In recent years, Rudd appeared in Netflix's Living With Yourself, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Scott Lang / Ant-Man. The fanbase he has established for himself is massive, and it's one that has shown is only continuing to grow with time. As we await Rudd's future films, we wanted to take the time to look back on his current filmography. Here are Paul Rudd's best movies, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes score.
12 Prince Avalanche (2013) — 82%
Along with Emile Hirsch, Rudd led the 2013 film Prince Avalanche, a comedy drama from the director of Pineapple Express. The film did not have much of a plot, instead simply exploring the dynamic between two blue-collar workers with very different views on life. Prince Avalanche scored an 82% on the Tomatometer, which was significantly higher than the 53% rating it got from the general audience.
11 This Is the End (2013) — 83%
Directed, produced, and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, This Is the End featured an over-the-top, fictionalized version of its cast trying to survive the end of the world. The main cast was composed of James Franco, Jonah Hill, Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson. Rudd was only given a small role in the film, accidentally stepping on and crushing someone to death before being sucked into hell. This Is the End received positive reviews from critics for its entertainment value and not taking itself seriously. But perhaps it would have been a better film with more Paul Rudd.
10 I Love You, Man (2009) — 83%
After already appearing in 2007's Knocked Up and 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Jason Segel, Rudd collaborated with Segel a third time on 2009's I Love You, Man. The film followed Peter Klaven (Rudd), a real estate agent in Los Angeles who becomes engaged to his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones). While marriage was something Peter was looking forward to, there was unfortunately no one to be Peter's best man due to the fact that he didn't have any close male friends. Luckily for Peter, he crossed paths with Sydney (Segel), who became the best friend that Peter could ever have asked for. I Love You, Man celebrated romantic love, but also reminded us of the importance of platonic friendships. In that way, I Love You, Man was the ultimate bromance movie.
9 Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) — 83%
The events of Forgetting Sarah Marshall took place at the Turtle Bay resort in Hawaii, the chosen site by Peter Bretter (Segel) to take his mind off of his ex. Unbeknownst to Peter, his ex Sarah Marshall was also a guest at the Turtle Bay resort. To make matters worse, Sarah wasn't just there alone, but was there with her new flame. Peter, however, remained determined to move on from Sarah, becoming romantically involved with a new person at the resort. Of course, that was when Sarah realized that she hadn't moved on from Peter, complicating his process of letting go of the past. Rudd appeared in the film as Chuck / Kunu, a surf instructor that did not know his own age, but was nonetheless able to offer valuable life advice.
8 Ant-Man (2015) — 83%
Rudd made his MCU debut in 2015's Ant-Man, which came directly off the heels of Avengers: Age of Ultron. People didn't know it at the time, but Ant-Man was laying the groundwork for much bigger things to come, and it did so while telling a contained story that felt much more personal. The film featured an incredible cast, plenty of visually intriguing CG sequences, a strong father-daughter relationship, and a likable hero in Scott Lang, who also represented the everyman. It was the perfect way of wrapping up Phase 2 and showed fans a side of the MCU that they had never seen before.
7 The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) — 85%
As the title implied, The 40-Year-Old Virgin was indeed about a man who had never had sex. Steve Carell played Andy Stitzer, a timid electronics store employee who kept his virginity a secret from the people around him. After finding out about his secret, Andy's friend David (Rudd) set out on a mission to help him lose his V-card. David eventually met Trish (Catherine Keener), who, fortunately, was someone he genuinely felt a connection with. The 40-Year-Old Virgin has been one of the most remembered romantic comedies from the 2000s, and that's probably due to the social expectations of losing your virginity by a certain age continuing to exist.
6 The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) — 85%
Based on the 1999 novel of the same name, The Perks of Being a Wallflower was one of the biggest coming-of-age films of the early-2010s. The film focused on Charlie Kelmeckis (Logan Lerman), a wallflower who observed things from the outside, but was never really part of them. Or at least that was until he met the free-spirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother, Patrick (Ezra Miller). Charlie also found a connection with his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Rudd), who saw his gifts and played a part in his journey of self-creation and self-discovery. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a solid novel to film adaptation, and continues to be talked about today.
5 Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) — 87%
Ant-Man and the Wasp received a 4% higher rating than its predecessor from critics. As teased at the end of the first Ant-Man, Hope finally donned her own suit, forming a superhero duo with Scott. The sequel confirmed that Janet van Dyne was still alive, sending our heroes on a rescue mission in the Quantum Realm. Their mission drew them into conflict with Ghost, a.k.a. Ava Starr, who needed energy from the Quantum Realm to survive.
4 Knocked Up (2007) — 89%
The 40-Year-Old Virgin director Judd Apatow continued his working relationship with Rudd on 2007's Knocked Up. The film starred Katherine Heigl as media personality Alison Scott, and Seth Rogen as irresponsible slacker Ben Stone. A one-night stand between the two resulted in Alison getting pregnant, forcing Ben to quickly grow up and prove that he can be a responsible father. Rudd appeared in the film as Alison's brother-in-law, Pete, who had problems to fix in his own relationship. The 89% approval rating from critics has made Knocked Up the highest-rated romantic comedy in Rudd's filmography.
3 Captain America: Civil War (2016) — 90%
Rudd's second MCU film appearance was not in an Ant-Man 2, but rather in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Following the division of the Avengers as a result of the Sokovia Accords, Scott was recruited into Team Captain America. He helped fight against heroes such as War Machine and Spider-Man, a battle during which he became "Giant-Man" for the very first time. Thanks to Rudd's charm, Scott brought a lot of welcome energy into the film and had a major presence despite having minimal screen time. Captain America: Civil War received a 90% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, comparable to the 89% approval rating of the film from the general audience.
2 The Little Prince (2015) — 92%
Using stop-motion and computer animation, The Little Prince told the story of an aviator's encounter with the titular "Little Prince" in the Sahara desert. It's difficult to talk about the film without getting into spoilers, but The Little Prince featured major themes of human nature, love, companionship, as well as isolation. For those who were unaware, the film was adapted from a French novella that was published in the 1940s. The novella has been ranked at No. 2 on the list of most translated work in history. Rudd voiced Mr. Prince in the film adaptation, an adult version of the Little Prince who forgot about his past.
1 Avengers: Endgame (2019) — 94%
Avengers: Endgame has earned the highest approval rating out of all of Rudd's movies on Rotten Tomatoes. With how well the film wrapped up story arcs, juggled its many characters, and did fan service, it's not hard to see why the film was such a crowd pleaser. It was the culmination of 11 years of careful planning and storytelling; the rare event film that lived up to all the hype. Of course, the film centered on a time heist to retrieve the Infinity Stones, an idea that was originally hatched by Scott. In a lot of ways, Rudd's MCU character has become one of the most important characters in film history.