Ed Helms has always been a really good comic performer, comfortable in a wide variety of different characters. Andy Bernard from The Office is a great example of his range: starting off as the sycophant you loved to hate, he turned into a character as loveable as any on that show. With the release of his new Netflix comedy Coffee and Kareem, this list will look at the best roles that Helms has played over the years, according to the Rotten Tomatoes rating system.
While no actor hasn't been a confirmed rotten film, Ed Helms top ten comes in quite strong with 7 certified fresh films. An honorable mention should go to his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show and he's also made numerous guest appearances on highly rated shows, including Brooklyn 99 and The Mindy Project.
A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2017) - 67%
As well as having a role in this Netflix comedy about the history of National Lampoon, Ed Helms also served as an executive producer. Following his success in The Hangover, Helms became more active in picking out and developing his own projects.
Director David Wain often fills his films with numerous cameos and smaller roles. Helms fills one of these as TV host Tom Snyder, while the film mainly follows Will Forte's, Douglas Kenney as he guides the National Lampoon from a magazine to a movie studio.
They Came Together (2014) - 68%
An Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd romantic comedy which is itself a parody of romantic comedies, full of twists that only get weirder and weirder. Poehler and Rudd play Molly and Joel a couple who are constantly in a cycle of on-again/off-again.
Ed Helms plays Eggbert Flapps a boring if somewhat safe choice for Molly who eventually agrees to marry him. This insecure, corporate banker is one of the best roles for Helms to show off his particular brand of cringe comedy.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) - 74%
Another comedy that is full of celebrity cameos, including Helm's Office co-star Jenna Fischer. Walk Hard is a parody of the quintessential rock biopic; John C. Reilly plays Dewey Cox as passes through decades of music history. As this was released before The Hangover and only after he'd been on The Office for a year, it is not surprising to see Helms in a smaller role as a Stage Manager.
However, Walk Hard does have some cult status and with Judd Apatow attached as a producer is shows that Helms was already catching the attention of some of the biggest names in comedy.
Jeff Who Lives at Home (2011) - 77%
A slightly different role for Helms in this comedy/drama from the Duplass brothers. Often playing the underdog, Helms is instead playing the successful older brother to Jason Segel's stoner Jeff, in this film about a mid-life crisis.
Jeff, lives in his mother's basement, choosing to read great significance into random encounters, often taking him on bizarre and pointless adventures. It's on one of these journey's where he meets his brother, the two go on a strange journey together as they try to rebuild their lives and rediscover who they are.
The Hangover (2009) - 78%
After The Office this is probable Ed Helms' most iconic role, it's certainly the one that turned him into a star. Helms' plays Stu, neurotic friend to Doug, in this comedy about one really bad night in Las Vegas. Stu is definitely the least prepared to deal with the hangover and Helms takes great delight in screaming and panicking his way through each crisis the day throws at him.
Helms also showcased his musical talent, writing and performing a song in the movie and started a frequent tradition of having his characters sing.
Chappaquidick (2017) - 81%
Ed Helms takes an unusual break from comedy in this political/historical drama following Ted Kennedy in 1969. Part of the famous Kenney political family, and brother to JFK, Ted Kennedy was possibly involved in an accident that resulted in the death of one of his campaigners, Mary Jo Kopechne.
Helms plays Joseph Gargan, a member of Kennedy's team at the time of the accident as they debate whether to tell the truth or cover up the scandal. For fans of Helms who want to see him try something different, worth it to hear his Boston accent alone.
The Office (2006-2013) - 81%
Given how beloved The Office is, it may be surprising that this role doesn't top the list. Ed Helms entered The Office as the hilarious but infinitely irritating Andrew Barnard, a pompous but useless college graduate, who spent more time bothering Jim than doing his work.
Eventually, after some anger management classes, Andy grew into one of the most lovable characters on The Office. Hilarious in his cowardice and naivety and heartbreaking in desperate attempts to find love.
Cedar Rapids (2011) - 86%
2011 was clearly a good year for Helms. Not long after his success in The Hangover, he was getting leading roles in numerous comedies, among them Cedar Rapids. Helms plays Tim Lippe, a sheltered insurance salesman who can't seem to get his life off the ground until he's sent to an insurance convention and gets into a bunch of crazy situations with some of the convention's veterans.
A film that proves no one is too old to come of age, a charming and sweet story about an awkward man who discovers a new side to himself.
Stretch (2014) - 88%
At some point, nearly every comedic actor tries their hand at an action-comedy film. While Helms' Coffee and Kareem can definitely be classed as such, it was Stretch, from the director of Smokin' Aces, that marked Helms's first foray into the genre.
Patrick Wilson plays stretch, a failed actor turned limo driver who must pay-off a $6,000 debt but is constantly haunted by the ghost of Karl (Helms), a failed actor who eventually took his own life. A slightly darker role for Helms, he acts as Wilson's bitter conscience and serves as a constant reminder of how bad things can get.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) - 88%
Topping it off comes Captain Underpants one of the few animated hits that doesn't come from the giant studios, Disney or Dreamworks. Helms plays, Captain Underpants, in this family comedy adapted from the beloved book series; a stern high school principal who is hypnotized by two of his students into believing he's one of their comic book creations.
The two boys have to chase after him as he charges head-on into danger, fully believing he has super-powers. An underrated gem that will delight old and young alike.