To fellow 90s babies, Paul Feig might be that recognizable face from Sabrina the Teenage Witch and even Heavyweights, as the slimmed-down “fat camp” counselor Tim. In real life, Feig is also a comedian — no surprises there — and now an acclaimed filmmaker. He has teamed up with Melissa McCarthy numerous times over the last decade, but before all that, he created the acclaimed comedy series Freaks and Geeks with fellow funny man Judd Apatow. As we await Feig’s next film effort, here’s a closer look at his finest work to date.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 The Heat (2013)

     20th Century Fox

Sandra Bullock stars alongside McCarthy for the money-making comedic delight The Heat. Bullock steals scenes as an uptight FBI agent forced to partner up with a wild-card Boston cop (McCarthy) to bring down a drug lord. Kaitlin Olson, Taran Killam, Michael Rapapor,t and Demián Bichir also star in this consistently funny adventure about two mismatched partners forced to work a case together. “I just got out of the way so they didn’t go badass on my ass,” Feig once told Chicago Tribune about McCarthy and Bullock. “They’re both real actresses, even though they’re comedy actresses. They really put everything through a very rigorous test.”

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

4 Ghostbusters (2016)

     Columbia Pictures

Some of SNL’s funniest recent regulars join forces in this exciting Ghostbusters remake featuring an all-female principal cast. After a lengthy period of separation, best friends Abby (McCarthy) and Erin (Kristen Wiig) reunite to investigate paranormal activity that may finally prove the existence of ghosts. The scientists add tech specialist Jillian (Kate McKinnon) and somewhat reluctant MTA guard Patty (Leslie Jones) to their lineup, and the crew becomes NYC’s underground ghost hunters. The movie is packed with comedians and skilled actors. There are plenty of killer action sequences and callbacks to the old movies, and you can’t beat a scene-stealing Chris Hemsworth showing off his comedic chops — which doesn’t happen all that often these days.

Feig was also a huge fan of the recent Ghostbusters: Afterlife and even took to Twitter to make his stamp of approval known: “Huge congrats to ⁦@JasonReitman⁩ and the whole #GhostbustersAfterlife cast and crew on this amazing opening weekend,” he wrote. “The film is brilliant.”

3 A Simple Favor (2018)

     Lionsgate

This edgy drama showcased Feig’s ability to shift between film genres with ease. In A Simple Favor, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a young blogging mom who lives in a small town, which is also home to the wealthy and sophisticated Emily (Blake Lively). Their children share a school, and soon enough, the two women begin a friendly relationship. But then, Emily vanishes without a trace. Stephanie begins to look for her along with Emily’s husband Sean (Henry Golding) in order to uncover the ultimately shocking truth. The cast is rounded out by Linda Cardellini, Rupert Friend, Eric Johnson, Kelly McCormack and Jean Smart, among others.

2 Bridesmaids (2011)

     Universal Pictures

Feig’s directing chops took off back in 2011 with Bridesmaids, the groundbreaking female-driven comedy with a hard R rating. Bridesmaids changed the game because it showed that women can hang and gross out an audience with hilarity while still bringing heart and fashion to the big screen. After the success of Bridesmaids, McCarthy — rightfully Oscar-nominated for her performance — launched into leading roles for stealing scenes as the foul-mouthed bridesmaid. As a director, Feig tests you skillfully in other moments, particularly during an outrageous passive-aggressive battle between Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne’s characters, as they try to outdo each other’s wedding toasts at a party. If captured by a less talented filmmaker, this could have translated as forced comedy — but not with Feig at the helm.

1 Spy (2015)

     Chernin Entertainment

“You’re chewing on a hand towel” is perhaps the funniest one-liner ever delivered by Jude Law. The role of Susan Cooper, a long-standing CIA analyst who has never gotten a chance to show her stuff, is one that Melissa McCarthy seems born to play. In a unique take on the espionage subgenre, Spy chose to turn things up a notch with solidly humorous turns from action-movie legend Jason Statham and Russian retro-villian Rose Byrne. Feig’s masterful direction is highlighted in a thrilling, laugh-out-loud sequence where McCarthy takes down a villain in the most awkward of ways, only to then vomit all over the corpse — by accident.

“I love spy movies,” Feig once told Den of Geek. “When we were doing The Heat, it was so much fun doing the little bit of action we had. I love action movies and stunts, so wanted to do something with a lot of that. I’ve also always been a fan of the Bond films, especially when the Daniel Craig series started. I was like, that’s how they should look. It all added up to wanting to do something like that. I realized that nobody’s going to let me do one of those, but then this is my opportunity to write something for the funny women I like. And I took it from there. A woman who becomes a spy, the brains behind the real spy. Everything came together.”