With This is the End coming out on Wednesday, it marks an era in modern comedy. Not one of any particular triumph, but just that of our culture. We have officially come to the point where we can now make an entire movie where we get to make fun of the likes of James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel, and director Seth Rogen. While the movie is sure to be very meta, it is amazing that in pop culture, they have reached a level of iconography worthy of an entire film. So what exactly has Rogen done that is worth noting? What are his best roles?
What is also amazing is his career trajectory. Even in 2007, prospects of him being the lead in a drama with Michelle Williams seemed unrealistic. Rogen may not necessarily have the best looks, but since his early days as a small character on Freaks and Geeks, he has proven himself to be one funny fellow. He may have not always hit the right marks, but overall, he definitely deserves to rank as one of the funniest actors currently working. Mixing heart with crass humor, he has made a career out of retooling the comedy genre and showing people how its done.
The following is my personal top 10 favorites that he has done. In a sense, I would love to think that each of these will get a hefty reference in This is the End, though if the ads are any sign of how things will go, I will just be fine with a bunch of Pineapple Express jokes. Still, the man has done an impressive body of work, and even if his new film turns out to be too self-serving, it is self-serving well deserved.
1. 50/50
While it has gotten attention from the critics as being one of the best films of 2011, I am still saddened by how underrated this film is in the general public. Barely a blip on most radars, this story of a man with cancer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) trying to live life is a modern masterpiece. It takes the familiar story and adds a youthful, humorous tone full of medical marijuana humor and some passionate acting. Even if Rogen is theoretically playing himself (the script by Will Reiser is based on his experiences, which included Rogen as a best friend), he manages to balance earnest concern with occasional comedic moments. They are less crass than his earlier material, but they definitely pack the same punch. 50/50 is a film that will hit you hard and resonate for anyone who has known anyone dealing with cancer in their 20's.
2. Knocked Up
With Knocked Up, Rogen officially went from being a sidekick to the main attraction. As the man who impregnates a woman (Katherine Heigl), he must learn to become a responsible adult. The tale is very familiar and recalls sitcoms at various points. However, it is the excessive level of improv and crass humor that makes this one exceptional, even at over two hours long. It ushered in a new era of comedy that managed to make the hard-R also somewhat sentimental and endearing. Most of all, it played to Rogen's strengths and somehow managed to make a movie based around a cursing stoner into a film that grossed $219 million internationally. Wonder how impressive Rogen's performance is? Just watch This is 40 and witness how his absence diminishes all the good will brought on by Knocked Up.
3. Pineapple Express
If any film institutionalized Rogen as this decade's biggest stoner, it is Pineapple Express. Mixing action with comedy and a whole lot of drugs, this film quickly became a highly quotable sensation with both critics and fans. It may have been at times overly absurd and the plot incohesive, but thanks largely to director David Gordon Green and the chemistry between Rogen and James Franco in a Golden Globe nominated performance, the film works. It is amazing that after this film Rogen managed to just not fall into playing the stoner in every film and instead went on to star in a handful of friendlier films, including Kung Fu Panda 2. If that isn't an achievement, I don't know what is. However, I still worry that this is the movie that wrecked Green's career, as his follow-up Your Highness greatly suggests.
4. Funny People
Probably one of the most underrated films of 2009. Funny People was a film presented as an epic about stand-up comedians. Cramming in several of today's best known voices, it was a poignant dramatic comedy that managed to paint these voices as vulnerable while also never forgetting to laugh. It has also been wildly considered to date Adam Sandler's last good movie, and one that somehow managed to reflect his downfall as a performer. Still, Rogen as Sandler's sidekick may not manage to overshadow the veteran, but his sincerity and calm tone help to elevate his character to something of a voice of reason. At very least, it does feature him performing some rather entertaining stand-up.
5. Observe and Report
Featuring easily one of the best montages of the 00's, Observe and Report is another highly underrated film. When opening against Paul Blart: Mall Cop, it was way too dark and with an extended scene involving a fat streaker, it was too much of a risk to be a box office hit. What it does have is one of Rogen's earliest attempts into a more dramatic role, given it was surrounded by a lot of hilarious moments. Considered a parody in ways of Taxi Driver, this film helped put Aziz Ansari into movies and convinced Michael Pena to do more comedies. It also ushered in director Jody Hill's rise, which has since lead him to the hit HBO show Eastbound & Down. I just wish that he would release another movie that is this infectiously perverse and bizarre.
6. Take This Waltz
This may be more of Michelle Williams' movie and Sarah Silverman may shine more than Rogen, but he is just as essential. Playing Williams' husband, he is forced to be a good man while his wife contemplates cheating on him. It isn't a showy role, yet it is endearing to watch these two interact. It also helps that what director Sarah Polley brings to the film is a lot of dramatic energy and a lot of great camera techniques. There are scenes here that manage to work despite very little spoken dialogue. Take This Waltz at very least proves that Rogen can do drama with the right script. Now it is only a matter of time before we see if he does it again.
7. Superbad
Along with Knocked Up a few months before, Superbad helped to mark Rogen's place in pop culture. Playing one of the loosest cops in a film, he takes a virgin teenager (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and shows him the time of his life. It may not compare to the roles played by Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, but along with Bill Hader, these two cops talk a dirty talk and bring a lot of great moments with it. By the time the finale rolls around with a torched cop car, Superbad establishes itself as one of the best modern teen comedies produced by a studio in the 00's. While not nearly as polished as Rogen and writer Evan Goldberg's Pineapple Express, it does feature plenty of quotable lines, memorable gags, and McLovin: a character who has since plagued Mintz-Plasse's career ever since.
8. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
It is almost hard to imagine a world in which Judd Apatow is so prominent without this keystone film. The 40-Year-Old Virgin heralded back the raunchy comedy with a twist of sincerity. While this is mostly a reason to watch Steve Carell shine as an awkward virgin forced to undergo bizarre dating rituals, Rogen manages to impress as one of his coworkers. In several scenes of improv, he introduces the world to his brand of crass humor with pop culture references and starting the infamous "You know how I know you're gay?" jokes. This film also makes a very strong reason for why the Apatow group works together so often, if just because they could go on for 20 minutes riffing and still have you rolling in the aisles.
9. Monsters vs. Aliens
Of all of the kid's movies in Rogen's filmography, none compare to Monsters vs. Aliens. Parodying 50's sci-fi flicks with a mix of women's rights, this film managed to become a box office hit while also not holding as much prominence as the Dreamworks films like Kung Fu Panda or Madagascar. It is a shame because as a whole, Monsters vs. Aliens may be one of the greatest animated films of the 00's on the simple way that it managed to execute the familiar tropes of its subject material into an off-the-wall and fun family film. I still await any sequel that it could produce. This is also largely thanks to Rogen, who plays B.O.B., a blog that has no brain and says nonsense. It may sound dumb, but as a supporting character, it is quite a delight.
10. Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Off of the success of Knocked Up and Pineapple Express, it seemed like Rogen would be on easy street. Teaming up with director Kevin Smith, he created this romantic comedy with the backdrop of a porno which lead to one of the crassest mixes of sex talk and sincerity that Rogen has ever appeared in. While laced a little heavy with profanity and feeling somewhat like second-rate Apatow, the film still has plenty of charm and while not a complete success, show how Rogen is capable of bringing good performances to even the most mediocre of scripts.
BONUS!
Worst Film
The Green Hornet
While it is debatable that Rogen has appeared in worse comedies, it has usually been as a bit part. However, when partnering with Goldberg over this take on the iconic superhero, it seemed wrong from the beginning. From the directing choice of artistic mogul Michel Gondry to Rogen being cast as the lead, there were numerous problems on the production level alone. While Gondry did help to create a very intriguing fight technique called Kato Vision, the rest of the film suffers from a mix of too much goofy humor and Rogen's penchant for crass humor was toned down for a PG-13 rating. While it has a decent turn by Christoph Waltz, it has very little else going for it besides the fact that it is an offensive take on the hero popularized by Van Williams and Bruce Lee. Also, it may have ripped off a few episodes of the Simpsons along the way.
What is your favorite Seth Rogen movie?
What is your favorite Seth Rogen movie?
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