Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Seth Rogen-whose latest project "Good Fortune" releases in theaters today.
Seth Rogen's Filmography Ranked:
40.The Lion King (D+)
39.You, Me and Dupree (C-)
38.Monsters vs. Aliens (C-)
37.The Guilt Trip (C)
36.An American Pickle (C)
35.Take This Waltz (C)
34.Observe and Report (C)
33.For a Good Time... Call (C+)
32.The Green Hornet (B-)
31.The Super Mario Bros. Movie (B-)
30.Kung Fu Panda 4 (B-)
29.Fanboys (B)
28.Like Father (B)
27.Kung Fu Panda 3 (B)
26.Kung Fu Panda 2 (B)
25.Dumb Money (B)
24.The Fabelmans (B)
23.Chip n'Dale: Rescue Rangers (B)
22.Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (B)
21.The Interview (B)
20.Kung Fu Panda (B)
19.Paul (B+)
18.Pineapple Express (B+)
17.Sausage Party (B+)
16.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (B+)
15.Funny People (B+)
14.Neighbors (B+)
13.The Night Before (B+)
12.Steve Jobs (A-)
11.The Disaster Artist (A-)
10.Zack and Miri Make a Porno (A)
9.Long Shot (A)
8.50/50 (A)
7.Knocked Up (A)
6.This is the End (A)
5.Step Brothers (A)
4.Donnie Darko (A+)
3.The 40-Year-Old Virgin (A+)
2.Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (A+)
1.Superbad (A+)
Top Dog: Superbad (2007)
Believe it or not, there was a time where comedy movies played in theaters and people went to see them en masse. Crazy right?! While Superbad is a movie that holds up extremely well that I've watched a bunch over the years, that first viewing in theaters on opening weekend is the first place my mind goes to whenever it's brought up. The energy that is present in a theater full of people laughing their asses off from start to finish is one of the best feelings in the world and to this day, I've never seen a movie kill to the extent that Superbad did. On top of that, it helped launch the career of Emma Stone and upped the stocks of everybody from Jonah Hill to Michael Cera to Rogen to Bill Hader. What a fucking legacy to leave behind.
Bottom Feeder: The Lion King (2019)
The "live action" remake of The Lion King pulls off one hell of a magic trick by regurgitating the story of the animated version without a drop of the heart or soul that made it special and somehow expanding the running time by a half hour despite the film feeling like a 20-minute highlight reel. Most of the Disney live action remakes are just cash grabs, but this one in particular is so creatively bankrupt that it feels like the viewer got duped into a Bob Iger-backed pyramid scheme.
Most Underrated: Zach and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Looking back on it, Zach and Miri Make a Porno marked the end of Kevin Smith's peak run. What makes Zach and Miri Make a Porno so special is that it threads the needle between being a lowbrow sex comedy and genuinely sweet romance. This unlikely combo works because Smith knows exactly when to focus on each of these polar opposite sides, the chemistry between Rogen and Elizabeth Banks is incredible and the supporting cast all kill their roles (especially Craig Robinson's hilarious turn as Rogen's co-worker/friend). I'd like to say that it's possible that Smith could get back to a place where he was making great movies again someday, but frankly, I just don't think his heart is in it these days.
Most Overrated: The Fabelmans (2022)
At its best, The Fabelmans is a heartfelt, fascinating look at how a young Steven Spielberg fell in love with movies and used filmmaking as a way to escape from the messiness of his family life. At its worst, it's a grating, cornball melodrama led by an unusually showy, awards-baity performance from Michelle Williams. The latter takes up enough of the runtime to prevent the film from being great and is why I was so baffled at the amount of awards buzz it received three years ago.
Contender for the Most Criminally Overlooked Romcom of the Last 20 Years: Long Shot (2019)
Prior to Good Fortune, the last time we got a Rogen-led comedy on the big screen was Long Shot six and a half years ago! As shitty as this prolonged drought has been, Long Shot was at least one hell of a note to go on hiatus on. This is one of the rare romcoms that is so sweet and funny throughout that you're in a complete state of euphoria once the credits roll. We need to start a petition for Rogen and Charlize Theron to work together again (beyond a quick cameo on The Studio) ASAP.