The immortal Paul Rudd made his feature film debut over a quarter of a century ago in cult classic Clueless, but he’s arguably never been a bigger star than he is right now, thanks mostly to his role as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ant-Man.
After steadily rising up the Hollywood ranks during the 2000s as a supporting player in hit comedies like Anchorman, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Role Models and I Love You, Man, he eventually started securing a number of lead parts in a variety of genres, proving himself more than capable as a dramatic talent.
Rudd’s relatable everyman charm has made him one of the most universally popular actors in the business, in fact, but when he takes center stage in a project, the comedy tends to be a little more out of the box and unusual than the standard Judd Apatow efforts that he was frequently cast in.
A case in point is Our Idiot Brother, Jerry Peretz’s overlooked 2011 outing that flew almost completely under the radar when it was first released. Rudd stars as a burnout slacker who ends up being jailed for selling weed to a police officer. After getting out of prison, he turns to his sisters for help, and his carefree ways end up impacting their lives in a number of ways.
Rudd is as reliable as ever in the role, and the movie boasts an impressive supporting cast that includes Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Adam Scott and Steve Coogan. Our Idiot Brother is coming to Netflix next month on February 26th, and is well worth checking out for fans of both the actor and the dramatic comedy genre in general.