Seth Rogen, now internationally known as one of Hollywood’s finest comedic actors, started as a stand-up comedian before acting in the TV shows Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared and taking on smaller roles in Donnie Darko and Anchorman:The Legend of Ron Burgandy. He also cut his teeth as a writer on Sacha Baron Cohen’s infamous Da Ali G Show.
Rogen then appeared in a supporting role in director Judd Apatow’s mega hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin and later in a starring role in Knocked Up. His growing success led to the greenlighting of his passion project Superbad, which he had been writing with his friend Evan Goldberg since the tender age of 13. The coming-of-age teen comedy was a roaring success and has been hailed one of the defining movies of the Millennial generation.
Since its release, Rogen has both acted in and written dozens of certified classics and even proven his versatility by taking on more dramatic roles in films like Funny People, Steve Jobs and Steven Spielberg’s latest The Fablemans. Whilst most will recognize him for his acting and trademark gruff laugh, his work behind the scenes is nothing to be scoffed at. Rogen has worked as part of a writing team on ten movies, establishing himself as a master of combining raunchy humor and genuine heart. These are the best movies written by Seth Rogen, ranked.
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8 The Green Hornet
Columbia Pictures
Written with frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg, The Green Hornet is considered by many fans of the pair, along with superhero fans (and fans of movies in general), to be somewhat of a disappointment. But to quote Jonah Hill at The Roast of James Franco (via EW), as he playfully ribbed his pal Rogen, “It didn’t lose that much money/” The general consensus is that the script and Rogen’s casting were not suited for the type of movie it was. However, if you think of it as a lighthearted indie bromedy, as opposed to the big budget superhero flick it was marketed as, you might derive a little more enjoyment from the movie, that, as whole, isn’t as terrible as some might remember. (Except for the special FX — that is probably worse than you remember.)
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7 The Watch
20th Century Studios
Written with Evan Goldberg and Jared Stern, The Watch is a rare example of a movie penned by Rogen in which he does not act in. This time, they opted for comedic heavy weights Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and British star Richard Ayoade.The Watch sees Rogen dipping his toes into sci-fi territory whilst keeping the irreverent and crude humor for which he has become known. It sees the aforementioned actors playing the parts of a vigilante neighborhood watch team who uncover an alien invasion plot and are forced to act. While the premise is fairly intriguing, and the jokes come thick and fast, not all of them hit the mark, making it among Rogen’s less popular output.
6 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
The original Neighbors (or Bad Neighbors as it is known in some countries), written by Andrew J. Cohen and Brenden O’Brien, was a hilarious runaway success, which made over $270 million at the box office on an $18 million budget. When it came to the sequel, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Rogen, along with Evan Goldberg and Nicholas Stroller, join the writers of the original to create something that almost, but not quite, lived up to the original. This time around, we see Zac Efron’s character eventually switching sides and helping his previous enemies, the Radners, played by Rogen and Rose Byrne, to help drive out the new bad neighbors; this time, a rowdy sorority. There’s plenty of fun to be had, and Chloe Grace Moretz, in particular, delivers a fine performance, but one can’t help that it’s slightly re-treading old ground. It still remains a great addition to Rogen’s repertoire, nonetheless.
5 Drillbit Taylor
Paramount Pictures
Another example of a movie written by Rogen that doesn’t star him, Drillbit Taylor instead places Owen Wilson center stage as an adult bodyguard approached by three children to protect them from the school bully. Far more family friendly than the type of humor we’ve come to expect from Rogen, the screenplay, written with Kristofor Brown, sees Rogen early in his career trying to find his voice. Wilson is great as the hapless beggar passing himself off as a trained martial artist, and the story is full of humor and heart, but suffers from an uneven tone and lack of direction. Overall, the movie is certainly enjoyable enough and offers glimmers of the Rogen we’ve grown to love.
4 Sausage Party
Sony Pictures Releasing
The last thing you’d expect to see on a list involving Rogen is an animated feature, but in 2016, he teamed up with Goldberg, Hunter, and Shaffir to write the screenplay for the computer-generated movie Sausage Party. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a movie suitable for children; it is jam-packed full of filthy jokes and colorful language. Featuring a stellar voice cast that includes Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Edward Norton, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Salma Hayek, Paul Rudd, and Danny McBride, the film is about a store full of anthropometric grocery items as they come to terms with what happens to them after they are purchased by customers. While it mainly relies on gross out humor, many of the gags are surprisingly intelligent and the movie actually has a positive message hidden under a barrage of hilarious food puns and sex jokes.
3 The Interview
Perhaps one of the most controversial movies of all time, not merely for its outrageous boundary pushing vulgarity, but because of the political premise and the ripples it made throughout the world. Whilst the screenplay was actually written by Sterling, The Interview was based on a story written by him and Goldberg. It follows a sensationalist television interviewer and journalist, played by James Franco, and his manager, played by Rogen, as they are tasked by the U.S. government to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who, in the movie, was a big fan of the television star. The movie itself was a clever and amusing look at both a vapid media and one of the world’s most dangerous dictators. The real-life Kim Jong-un wasn’t such a fan, however, and took the movie to be an outright attack on the nation. As a result of this perceived act of terror, the computer systems of Sony were hacked by the “Guardians of Peace,” a North Korean cybercrime group (via NME). The group also threatened terrorist attacks against theaters showing the film. Which resulted in most theater chains opting not to show the movie.
2 Pineapple Express
Perhaps one of the most beloved stoner comedies of its generation, Pineapple Express is a laugh out loud action-adventure flick that sees Rogen and Franco demonstrating what it takes to create the perfect on screen duo. Rogen plays a casual marijuana smoker, whilst Franco is the overly friendly, slightly dimwitted dealer. The pair witness a murder and are forced on the run as a result. While there are plenty of off-color jokes and a healthy dose action and violence, there’s an underlying, sweeter tale exploring the budding friendship between the two leads and all the associated ups and downs. This combination of heart and humor has since become a staple of Rogen’s.
1 Superbad
Rogen’s writing debut still remains his greatest. He’d already developed a working relationship with producer Judd Apatow, having starred in the likes of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. 2007 was the year that Superbad, based on a story he’d been developing with Goldberg since he was just 13 years old, finally hit the big screens. The Apatow-produced coming of age flick is a masterclass in comedy and quite possibly one of the most quoted movies of the millennial generation. From the hilarious back-and-forths between the teen leads to the gross out sight gags, the humor never misses a beat. Despite all the ridiculousness and vulgarity, the characters and story are strangely relatable in portraying the awkwardness of navigating high school. Not only this, but it is also responsible for the making of Emma Stone, Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and, of course, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the notorious McLovin.
