Ode to Paul Rudd

It’s nice to see the rest of the country hopping onto the Paul Rudd wagon… I’ve been on board since high school but it seems to have taken the general public a bit longer, even though he’s been making an impact on American Cinema since the mid ‘90s.

Rudd is on the cover of two very prominent magazines this month – the April issue of Vanity Fair (where he stands in a barrel next to his frequent co-stars Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel) and the March 27th issue of Entertainment Weekly. His latest movie, "I Love You, Man" is getting great reviews and Rudd is getting the recognition he deserves.

Although Rudd is mostly known for his comedic roles, he has done some dramatic films, as well as plays. Right after I graduated from college in June of 2006, my sister and I road tripped to New York City to take in some Broadway shows – including the closing night of Three Days of Rain, the Richard Greenburg drama which starred Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd (!). To be perfectly honest, I am not and will never be a Julia Roberts fan – especially after seeing her robotic performance in Rain. Unlike most of the rest of the crowd, I was at the play to see Cooper and Rudd and was blown away by both of their performances.

My sister and I had seen many shows before this one, so we were well aware that it would be possible to get pictures and/or autographs of the actors at the stage door at the close of the play. When the curtain fell, we bolted down the balcony steps and out the lobby entrance and made a beeline toward the stage doors. Because it was the finale of the show, and because Roberts is a huge media/paparazzi draw, 45th Street was filled with hundreds – nay, thousands – of people. Since my sister and I had ticket stubs from that evening’s show, we were squired to a holding area by the stage doors.

After waiting awhile, Roberts came out and began scrawling her autograph on peoples Playbills. Everyone has their arm stretched out in order to get as close to Roberts as possible and after she scribbled her way through the mess of Playbills, she ducked back inside the stage doors. When my sister and I brought our Playbills closer to our persons, we realized Roberts had not signed mine. That was actually film by me – I wasn’t there for her anyway and it just reinforced my stance that I am just not a fan.

Soon Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd came through the stage doors – if you can believe, they are both way more handsome in person than they appear on screen. The two men began signing away, Playbill after Playbill. I was fortunate to get both of their autographs – and I will treasure that Playbill till the end of time. During their signing session, Roberts came outdoors again and went over to the other side of the holding area to sign more autographs. Cooper and Rudd hung over by my side of the holding area, so I decided that I was going to talk to Paul Rudd, since he is my favorite American actor. The day before, I had met my favorite British actor, Ralph Fiennes, so talking to Rudd was going to fulfill this movie-geek’s wildest dreams.

Lots of people were screaming, so I thought for a fraction of a second and decided that if I was to get Rudd’s attention, I couldn’t just scream what every one else was screaming (which was mostly Anchorman quotes or stuff about Friends). I was proud with what I came up with:

"I loved you in The Chateau!"

And just like a scripted movie moment, Paul Rudd (who was facing away from me) turned around and looked right at me. Oh those sparkling blue eyes… but I digress.
He looked me dead in the eye and said in a surprised tone, "You saw that? You and like nine other people."

As my heart melted, I told him that my best friend had recommended it to me and he said, "Tell your best friends I say ‘Thanks’!"

So, in honor of Mr. Rudd and his 2nd place opening at the Box Office last weekend, with a respectable $18 million for "I Love You, Man", here are my thoughts on some of the 22 of his movies I have seen. (With great sadness, I have to admit that I haven’t seen "Role Models" yet… I know it just came out on DVD a couple weeks ago, so in due time I will obtain a copy and watch it over and over again).

Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we?

CLUELESS (1995) – Josh

Even though I thought it was a bit creepy that a guy in his twenties would fall for a high schooler (As if!), I found myself crushing on the character of Josh when I saw this movie back when I was in middle school. In Clueless, Rudd’s Josh is sarcastic, funny, goofy and just a nice guy. He teases Cher, but it’s out of love (awwww). Dug his character and his faux-grungy wardrobe of flannel shirts.

OVERNIGHT DELIVERY (1998) – Wyatt Trips

They show this all the time nowadays on Comedy Central, but I had never heard of it in the late 90s when it came out. Rudd and Reese Witherspoon star in this little road trip movie… pretty cliché and cheesy, but this is the first time we really get the sense of Rudd as a romantic/likable/charmingly goofy leading man (Clueless was a good warm-up, this is more of the real deal). This is not a great movie, but it’s watchable because of the leads and chock full of sarcastic banter, of which I am a huge fan.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (2001) – Andy

"You taste like a burger, I don’t like you any more."

One of the few movies where Rudd plays a jerk, but it’s to such an extreme that you still find him oddly charming and see why the female camp counselors are attracted to him. His physical comedy skills are really put to use when Andy is told to put his lunch stuff away. He sweeps his plate and utensils off the table, then reluctantly goes around the room and with great unhappiness and laziness, he picks up each item one by one, as if it’s the worst chore anyone every had to do in his entire life.

THE CHATEAU (2001) – Graham Granville

Small movie where Rudd and Romany Malco (his co-star in 40 Year Old Virgin) play brothers who are set to inherit property in France but run into trouble with the housekeeping staff. Quirky and cute – Malco and Rudd are great together.

TWO DAYS (2003) – Paul Miller

Not the greatest movie ever made, and it’s super depressing, but Rudd brings it as Paul Miller, an actor who has given up on life and plans on committing suicide in two day’s time. The standout scene is when Rudd’s character goes on a casting call and reads – a very powerful moment that shows you that Rudd is more than just a great comedian, but super talented when it comes to dramatic parts.

ANCHORMAN (2004) – Brian Fantana

Everyone has seen this movie and quotes it a bajillion times, but you know what my favorite part of the movie is? When Ron Burgandy tosses to the first of several segments about the pregnant panda at the zoo and we the audience are treated to seconds of pure comedic bliss – Rudd raises his head, brings the microphone to his mouth as his eyes lock with the camera and he says, completely seriously, "PANDA WATCH!" Makes me laugh every time.

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (2005) – David

Again, another comedy that everyone has seen and quotes all the time, but one of my favorite parts, again, is a little Paul Rudd moment that you probably haven’t noticed. You know the scene where the Smart Tech guys are on break the day after the shellfish girl throws up on Andy? Cal (Seth Rogen) and David (Rudd) are smashing fluorescent light bulbs on the ground – watch Rudd’s face… he smiles like a kid who’s content playing with his favorite toy. Too funny. And then to cap it off, Cal hits a bulb against David’s leg and David has one of my favorite lines in the movie, "New pants, man." Another brilliant Rudd moment is during the finale – right when everyone starts singing "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Age of Aquarius… AQUARIUS!!!!!! Aquarius." For the first time… Rudd jumps into frame, then proceeds to do the choreographed dance moves with the rest of the Smart Tech guys… but as the sequence ends, he flings his arms back, puffs out his chest and prances out of frame… Brilliant.

I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN (2007) – Adam

Underrated Rom-Com from Amy Heckerling, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rudd as her younger love interest. Rudd does this crazy wonderful dance routine during a club scene… I hadn’t laughed that hard in awhile. This movie is currently in the Dump Bin at your nearest Wal-Mart… it’s worth a watch, if only for the dancing.

I LOVE YOU, MAN (2009) – Peter Klaven

There are too many positive things to write about this movie and Rudd’s performance. This is the first really big studio-driven comedy that Rudd has headlined (I’m going to overlook "Over Her Dead Body" which I haven’t seen yet, but I have DVRed to watch very soon… though I don’t expect much from it) and he nails it on every level. He’s funny, he’s endearing, he’s likeable and most of all, you can relate to him because the plot is realistic and Rudd sells it. You can see how Peter is a girl’s guy – he’s romantic and seems to understand women. He’s not a womanizer – he just needs some male friends. He and Jason Segel make a great on-screen team, playing off each other’s quirks and mannerisms. You want Peter to make friends and you are happy when he is happy – when he’s slapping the bass or just saying "Slappin’ da bass!" you had a smile on your face, admit it.

Paul Rudd is a funny guy. He’s always great doing press on TV – his interviews with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show get funnier each time he’s on. Awkward dancing sometimes erupts – it’s glorious.

If you haven’t gotten hooked on Paul Rudd and his amazingly talented acting skills by now, please go to the nearest bus station, buy a ticket and HOP ON ALREADY!