It’s great that we’re starting to see a slight return to an old-school kind of comedy with movies like No Hard Feelings and Ricky Stanicky, hearkening back to the ’90s and early ’00s. Speaking of which, the boom in the 2000s was a perfect time for comedy fans, with Superbad, Pineapple Express, Burn After Reading, Wedding Crashers and so many more taking care of an itch that’s seldom scratched these days. Scrolling through Netflix, I was over the moon to see that one of my favorites from the era has just been added, and any excuse whatsoever to watch Role Models is a good one…
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Role Models with Paul Rudd streaming on Netflix
Long before the days of Marvel and following success in movies like Anchorman and Knocked Up, Paul Rudd starred in Role Models, a hilarious 2008 comedy from director David Wain, whose first film was Wet Hot American Summer in 2001.
Paul plays Danny alongside Seann William Scott as Wheeler, two energy drink salesmen promoting cans of Minotaur in schools under the guise of keeping kids off drugs. Danny’s partner (played by Elizabeth Banks) leaves him because he finds no joy in life, and after an impulsive road rage incident of sorts, he and Wheeler are sentenced to 150 hours of community service.
They’re assigned to spend time with troubled kids as part of the Sturdy Wings program. Danny is paired with the geeky, fantasy-obsessed Augie (Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse), whereas Wheeler is assigned to the younger, foul-mouthed Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson).
- JUST ADDED: New on Netflix this week
I rewatched it and it holds up brilliantly as a laugh-a-minute R-rated comedy, one of the greatest of that heyday, and also my favorite film from Paul—not bad going when he has plenty of great ones.
It’s been 16 years and sadly we’ve had no sequel. However, Seann was interviewed last year and gave a slight glimmer of hope. “Doing a sequel to Role Models?” he asked the interviewer for Comic Book. “I would do that in a heartbeat, to work with those guys again.” I’d watch it in a heartbeat, as I’m sure would so many others.
Paul Rudd movies and shows on Netflix
Role Models isn’t the only thing from Paul you can stream conveniently on Netflix, as there are some gems across both film and TV available:
- The Catcher Was A Spy (movie)
- The Fundamentals Of Caring (movie)
- Knocked Up (movie)
- Living With Yourself (TV)
- Mute (movie)
- Sausage Party (movie)
- Wanderlust (movie)
- Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp (TV)
- Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (TV)
My personal pick would be The Fundamentals Of Caring, a sweet comedy-drama in which he plays a career heading out on a road trip with his client Trevor (played by Craig Roberts). It’s a gem from 2016.
Role Models is now streaming on Netflix.
