In Honor of Her Birthday, Let's Discuss Kristen Wiig's Most Underrated Role

The glamorously screwball Kristen Wiig, who celebrates her 38th birthday today, is now a burgeoning screen star who is successfully elevating the zany and/or downtrodden aspects of her SNL characters into full-fledged performances. What’s her most underrated moment on the screen so far? Plenty of Wiig’s pre-Bridesmaids roles qualify as fun, quiet performances, but I have a special affinity for her work in Adventureland because I have a special affinity for that movie. Not only are its two stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart fantastic, but everyone from Ryan Reynolds to Wendie Malick give sweet, believable performances. As Bill Hader’s meekly wacky wife Paulette, Wiig distills the unfiltered essence of her Knocked Up role into a distinctly small-town mold. Just lovely, especially when she offset’s Hader’s more traditional SNL hysteria. What’s your choice?