The Cather was a Spy is a serious departure from the comedies you normally see Paul Rudd in and a steep dive into drama-laden territory. He plays Moe Berg, the catcher for the Boston Red Sox during the WWII era. In this movie he’s recruited by the US government to take out a German scientist played by Mark Strong as he’s suspected of creating atomic weapons for the Nazis. This man wasn’t just any ballplayer being plucked off the field either, he was a regular contestant on a quiz show, spoke nine languages, and was a Jewish Ivy League graduate. So Berg was a pretty smart guy, not just a patsy that was selected because he was big, dumb, and aggressive.
This is going into territory that you don’t normally see Rudd in, and it might be interesting to find out just how he handles such a role after he’s been in so many comedies. To be fair some of the comedies he’s been in have been dramatic at moments. This Is 40 had more than a few moments in which it was less than funny and dealt with real life issues. But he’s done nothing on this scale as of yet and a lot of people are going to have to wait and see just what’s coming up and how he’s going to fill the role.
Sometimes an actor has to stretch out to be honest. Paul Rudd is no longer a young man that can do all the action roles and continue to be as funny as he was when he was still possessed of his youth. He’s still hilarious to watch in a comedy but it would appear that he wants to branch out and expand his resume just a bit at this point. That can be risky but it can also be advantageous if he makes the role work for him. Thinking that he can do more is a sure way to test himself and stretch those limits to the point that he will either go back to his comfort zone or he’ll endure and push through in order to accomplish something he hasn’t done yet. He’s been a busy man as of late and while a lot of what he’s done has had some drama in it this is bound to be the biggest test of his life thus far.
There’s a lot of faith that he can do this. Rudd is after all an actor, not just a comedian. He’s capable of keeping a straight face without much difficulty and if the film calls for it there’s no doubt that he he’ll act in the manner he needs to so that he can get it done. He’ll have some help too since the film also stars Mark Strong, Guy Pearce, and Jeff Daniels, all who’ve done at least some comedy and know about the transition, but have also done a lot of drama and could possibly help Rudd out if, and that’s a big IF, he has any questions or needs.
He should do fine.
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