Debapriya Bhattacharya
Paul Stephen Rudd began his acting career with commercials in 1991, before bagging a recurring role in the television drama ‘Sisters’ in the following year. His big screen debut came in 1995 with the comedy film ‘Clueless,’ following which he became a notable face in the genre, starring in movies such as ‘Wet Hot American Summer,’ ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,’ ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ and ‘I Love You, Man.’ In addition to his work in films of other genres, Paul has appeared in numerous sitcoms, most popularly in ‘Friends,’ between 2002 and 2004. In 2015, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Scott Lang, aka the superhero Ant-Man, and has reprised the role for multiple projects. If you are looking forward to diving into projects featuring Paul Rudd on Netflix, the following list will help guide you through.
10. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Directed by David Wain, ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ takes place on August 18, 1981, the last day of the eight-week summer camp at Camp Firewood in Maine. The group of counselors, including the camp director, Beth (Janeane Garofalo), attempts to finish all pending tasks within the remaining time before the day ends with a talent show at night. However, most of the things that are getting done are the campers and counselors engaging in illicit, wildly physical affairs. Paul Rudd stars in the movie as Andy, one of the conventionally attractive campers who is romantically involved with Katie (Marguerite Moreau). Created as a spoof of the teen sex comedies of the 1990s, you can watch the film here.
9. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015)
‘Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp’ serves as a prequel to the 2001 film ‘Wet Hot American Summer,’ and is the second installment of the eponymous franchise. Created by the writer-director duo of the original film, David Wain and Michael Showalter, it chronicles the first day of Maine’s Camp Firewood in 1981. The chaotic group of counselors and campers gets together and starts a sequence of events that lead to the final day, as previously seen in the movie. With the miniseries being a parody in nature, the original cast returns for the show, playing even younger versions of themselves at a much older age. Paul Rudd reprises his role as the charmer Andy, who has no trouble picking up women and getting started on a wild ride. Stream the episodes here.
8. Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (2017)
The ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ franchise continued with showrunners David Wain and Michael Showalter creating ‘Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later,’ a miniseries that serves as a sequel to the previous installments. The narrative follows the wild counselors and campers returning to Camp Firewood in Maine after ten years in 1991. As adults, life has taken them in different directions, but they continue to be as chaotic as ever. When the groups learn of the shocking news that the campground will be sold off, they do everything in their power to save it. Paul Rudd returns as Andy in the series, which you can binge-watch here.
7. Clueless (1995)
Loosely inspired by Jane Austen’s novel ‘Emma,’ Amy Heckerling’s directorial ‘Clueless’ revolves around Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), a rich, shallow teenager who is at the top of the social ladder at her high school in Beverly Hills. The social queen bee considers herself to be a matchmaker and convinces two of her teachers to date each other. Emboldened by her success, she focuses on giving the new student, Tai (Brittany Murphy), a makeover. However, Tai ends up becoming more popular than Cher, making the latter question herself. Paul Rudd stars in the movie as Cher’s disapproving former stepbrother, Josh Lucas, who warns her early on about being misguided. View the movie here.
6. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ marks the directorial debut of Adam McKay and stars Will Ferrell as the titular television host. Ron dominates the broadcast news scene of the 1970s with his eccentric team of reporters, which includes lead field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), and meteorologist Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). When the rising female journalist Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) is appointed as Ron’s co-anchor by the network, the team has difficulty making adjustments to the change. An outburst by Ron on camera ruins his career and that of his loyal teammates, but an incident at the local zoo provides them with an opportunity to set things right. You can stream the movie on Netflix.
5. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Adam McKay returned to direct ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,’ a sequel to the 2004 ‘Anchorman’ film that is set seven years later. Celebrity television anchor Ron Burgundy is presently married to his co-anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) and lives in New York City. When he gets the opportunity of a lifetime to become a network host on the world’s first 24-hour global cable news channel, he jumps at it with his team of lead field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), and meteorologist Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). However, the fight for ratings is more brutal in his new job, which keeps the team on their toes. You can watch the movie here.
4. Mute (2018)
Helmed by Duncan Jones as a follow-up to his 2009 film ‘Moon,’ ‘Mute’ is set in Berlin in the futuristic world of 2035. As the city swarms with immigrants from across the globe, mute bartender Leo Beiler (Alexander Skarsgard) stays for the sole reason of finding his missing partner, Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh). The search leads him deep into the city’s criminal underbelly, with two American surgeons, Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux), turning up as his only recurring clues. Leo finds it difficult to trust them, even as he figures out whom he should be most afraid of in the dark and dangerous world. You can view the tech-noir on Netflix.
3. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
A sequel to ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and the fifth installment of the overall franchise, ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ is directed by Gil Kenan. The narrative follows Gary Gooberson (Paul Rudd) and the Spenglers, the new team of Ghostbusters, as they move into the iconic New York City firehouse where the original team began their journey in 1984. Their hope to enjoy newfound peace is dashed when they stumble upon an ancient artifact and unleash an evil force. As chaos reigns over the city and the world is pushed towards a second ice age, the original Ghostbusters return to team up with the new generation and fight to save the day. Watch the supernatural comedy horror film here.
2. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
Based on the novel ‘The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving’ by Jonathan Evison, Rob Burnett’s directorial ‘The Fundamentals of Caring’ follows Ben Benjamin, an out-of-work writer in Seattle who decides to be a caregiver while coping with a personal tragedy. He gets employed by a bank office manager from England to look after her 18-year-old son, Trevor (Craig Roberts), who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. As their bond grows, Ben and Trevor embark on a road trip, meeting new people such as the charming Dot (Selena Gomez), and realizing the importance of hope and human connections. Stream the heartfelt road comedy-drama here.
1. Living With Yourself (2019)
Helmed by Timothy Greenberg, ‘Living With Yourself’ stars Paul Rudd as Miles Elliot, a copywriter who feels unhappy with his life and undergoes a mysterious treatment that promises a fresh start. However, it results in him being separated into two selves, with one being better than the other in every aspect of life. The less talented version grows jealous of the admiration received by the other self, especially from his wife, Kate Elliot (Aisling Bea). Not knowing which one of them is the real Miles and which is the clone complicates things even further. You can binge-watch the science fiction comedy-drama television miniseries on Netflix.
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