Seth Rogen names his four favourite movies of all time: “It ebbs and flows”
While Seth Rogen entered the industry with a role in the popular television series Freaks and Geeks, he soon went on to land various writing jobs, quickly establishing himself as a talented screenwriter, producer, and director, as well as an actor. After appearing in movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, You, Me, and Dupree, and Knocked Up, he found the biggest success of his career by co-writing Superbad with his childhood friend Evan Goldberg.
The classic teen comedy follows two unpopular teenagers (played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera but aptly called Seth and Evan) who decide to do the things they missed out on before graduating, including having sex and going to parties. Since its release in 2007, the film has become a staple comedy of the 2000s, still loved and quoted by many.
Since then, Rogen has written other comedies, sometimes controversial, such as This Is the End, The Interview, and Sausage Party, earning many fans in the process. In an interview with Letterboxd, the star revealed his four favourite movies, offering greater insight into the films that have shaped his tastes and style, although he admitted that “it ebbs and flows” when it comes to what he considers his favourites.
Rogen picked Amy Heckerling’s Clueless as one of his favourites, calling it “the greatest high school film of all time.” That might be a bold claim, but Clueless certainly has its merits. Not only does it have an iconic soundtrack (featuring everything from The Muffs’ ‘Kids in America’ cover to Radiohead) and many quotable lines, but it perfectly encapsulates the essence of being young and not knowing half as much as you think.
Watching the film feels like actually attending the characters’ school, and Rogen feels as though it’s the perfect slice of teen coming-of-age comedy. “When me and Evan made Superbad, we were always like, ‘If we could make a movie that stands the test of time as well as Clueless, then we’ll have really done something.’”
Rogen also selected another comedy, The Last Detail, starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Hal Ashby. Released in 1973, the film sees the actor play one of two men sent to escort Larry, an 18-year-old seaman sentenced to the brig, taking him to various places, including bars, on the way. While Rogen didn’t elaborate on why he loves the film so much, it remains a highly coveted piece of work from Nicholson’s filmography, and it’s no surprise that the actor loves it.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day also made it onto his favourites list, laughing as he explained that it is “probably actually my favourite movie ever made.” The classic sci-fi action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg and Linda Hamilton as a rebellious soldier was directed by James Cameron to great success, and it is often dubbed one of the best sequels of all time. While Rogen hasn’t ventured much into the realm of sci-fi or action himself, he simply finds the movie good fun.
His other pick was The Big Lebowski, a classic ‘90s comedy that he called “a very inspirational movie to me and Evan.” The film, directed by the Coen brothers, blends slacker humour with crime, perfectly hitting the spot for those who love thrilling tales of drama and criminality alongside light hearted jokes and a loser protagonist. You can definitely see how it has come to shape much of Rogen’s career, including Superbad.
