There may be no greater evidence of superhero movie progress than the casting of Paul Rudd as the lead in “Ant-Man,” the latest Marvel origin story which opens tomorrow. Known (and appreciated greatly in these parts) for his natural comic talents and effortless charm, used almost exclusively in comedies and indies ranging from the romantic to the silly, he seems like a left-field choice to lead a comic book movie, but a refreshing and exciting one nonetheless. And though our review found issues in the varied tones of “Ant-Man,” we did still find plenty to enjoy in its more goofy aspects, greatly aided by the talents of the 46-year-old actor.
Rudd started his career with a Joe Dante made-for-TV movie, then only a year later grabbed our attention in 1995 with a crucial part in a film that was a no-brainer for this list below (we know what you’re thinking, and sorry, we just couldn’t find space for “Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers”). So even though he looks all set to become way more famous after this weekend, he’s been kicking around for more than 20 years, consistently one of the more special components of each project he’s a part of. And can anyone else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe claim to have continued a long running and hilariously repetitive gag on Conan wherein he shows the same “Mac and Me” clip every time he comes on as a guest? We think not. So in honor of the man, and his fabulous abs, we present our seven favorite films in which he’s appeared. Let us know your favorite Rudd movie in the comments.
“Clueless” (1995)
This total Baldwin from Amy Heckerling (“Fast Times At Ridgemont High”) is packed so full of gags and brilliant one-liners that it could damn near compete with “Airplane” or “Naked Gun” for jokes-per-minute. Even throwaway transitional gags hit the mark, offering up sage advice like “‘searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie.” Even though a never-better Alicia Silverstone is the hero of this wonderful time(less) capsule, she has a great counterpoint in love-interest/ex-step-brother, Rudd’s Josh, whose performance here is just the right mix of mid-20s ennui, laid back ease and sneaky adorability. The climactic twist is so perfectly integrated (and followed by, of course, a perfect visual/narrational joke) that when Cher realizes she’s “majorly, totally, butt-crazy in love” with him, it’s a welcome relief for any (all?) of us in the audience who worried she’d never see just how good they’d be together. But she comes around, and the happy ending feels earned instead of forced. The film turned 20 this year, and though it could only have been borne from a very specific American 90s milieu, it should continue to age well as one of the definitive high school movies of all time, still endlessly quotable even though it’s dated in some respects (the great films always transcend that criticism), totally lightweight and breezy but never dumb, despite the dimness of its characters.