Ben Schwartz's Five Favorite Films - Rotten Tomatoes

(Photo by Vincent Sandoval/Getty Image)

From his bombastic turn as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on Parks and Recreation to his modern take as the titular Sonic the Hedgehog opposite Jim Carrey — not to mention plum roles in Showtime’s House of Lies and Netflix’s Space Force — Ben Schwartz has been slowly amassing an enviable career mining overconfidence for laughter. But with a new role in Flora & Ulysses, the Bronx-born comedian is showing a softer side to his comedy.

In the Disney+ film, Schwartz plays George Buckman, a comic book creator who hasn’t quite found a way to break into the business. His 10-year-old daughter Flora (Matilda Lawler) may love his superhero, Incandesto, but George has not yet found as much success as his wife Phyllis (Alyson Hannigan), a celebrated romance novelist. Having all but given up on his dreams, working at an office supplies store and living in a bachelor pad while he and Phyllis figure out their next steps, George finds a new purpose when Flora introduces him to Ulysses. Oh, did we mention Ulysses is a superpowered squirrel who loves to type out poetry and is currently being hunted by the town’s animal control office? What follows is a warm-hearted family adventure film with plenty of slapstick comedy that captures the hope all caped comic book heroes inspire in their readers.

Ahead of the movie’s release, Schwartz spoke with Rotten Tomatoes about his Five Favorite Films, which, by his own admission, are undisputed crowd-pleasers (“like, get your M&Ms, put them in your popcorn and enjoy your day!”). But the fact that they’re beloved by millions doesn’t take away from what drew Schwartz to them in the first place.

Flora & Ulysses is available on Disney+ from February 19, 2021.

Thumbnail image: Vincent Sandoval/Getty Image, © Columbia Pictures, © New Line, © Walt Disney Co., © MCA/Universal Pictures, © Universal

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