Living With Yourself Review: Double Paul Rudd Doubles the Fun

Life can be a drag.

Adulting sometimes seems like it's sucking the life right out of you.

So if you had the chance to rejuvenate quickly to get yourself back on track, it might seem like a very considerable offer.

That's what Miles Elliott (Paul Rudd) thinks, too, in the upcoming limited series, Living With Yourself.

This ad executive is disgruntled and uninspired at work. There are too many meetings, and pleasing clients seems like a losing proposition.

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Miles is suffering from relationship burnout, too. He and his wife, Kate (Aisling Bea) only have sex to try for a baby, so what should be pleasurable has become a chore.

It's putting a strain on their relationship, and along with his work pressures, it's leaving very little for Miles to hang onto.

So when Miles learns through a revitalized coworker that there is a possible quick fix to his lackluster life, he can't help but contemplate whether it's what he needs.

When Miles arrives at the Top Happy Spa snuggled inconspicuously in an otherwise languishing strip mall, he spots someone coming out with an enormous grin on his face.

It's all the further evidence he needs to consider a few visits to the Top Happy Spa, and in a flash, the money he and his wife had set aside for fertility treatment finds an entirely new purpose with some surprising results.

Miles finds himself tossed aside like week-old trash forced to literally dig himself out of his latest predicament when he discovers that his quick fix wasn't so much for him but the clone that replaced him.

Cloned at the exact time the treatment began, Clone Miles has no idea he's not the original. He just drives away from the clinic as if the treatment was a success.

Clone Miles has a fresh perspective on life, and he should because it's all new to him. He remembers it, but he's experiencing it all for the first time.

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Suddenly, his wife is more alluring, his job more challenging, and the world seems like a beautiful and wonderous place.

The resulting tale of old and new Miles fighting through the turmoil as a result of the Happy Spa foible forces you to rethink the world around you just as they do but without creating an additional you.

Everything between the two men is equal. They have the same memories and experiences. Original Miles has had years of financial and relationship obligations, worry, Self-doubt, and societal pressures, but Clone Miles seems ridiculously free of those burdens.

As a result, Clone Miles is a better husband, a better lover, and has unparalleled enthusiasm for his job, and the more Original Miles sees, the angrier he gets.

After all, Original Miles was never supposed to be a part of life after cloning. What happened to him was a grievous error on the part of Top Happy Spa.

Fixing that error turns out to be impossible and forces the two Miles to discover what it's like living with yourself.

The early going is a lot more difficult as once Original Miles' shock wears off, they have to keep their newly created identities a secret from his wife and the office.

But eventually, the two men fall into a copacetic pattern that has the potential to work out. Until Original Miles realizes the extent to which Clone Miles has infiltrated his life. That's when the Rudd's performance as the two different yet similar men becomes most impressive.

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Paul Rudd is Paul Rudd. He's one of the most joyful actors of our generation, and he has a blast playing off of himself both as an embittered man whose rejuvenation was a farce and the engagingly simple man who replaced him.

Rudd's charismatic relatability makes him perfect for the roles because you identify with both side of this struggling man.

Similar to The Affair, you'll also relive some events through both Miles' perspectives, which becomes key to understanding why Original Miles felt so out of sorts that he took advantage of the Spa in the first place.

Original Miles looks the part. He always gives off that just rolled out of bed and jumped into his clothes disheveled and tired vibe, while Clone Miles looks like he jumps out of bed healthy, invigorated, and fully put together.

Rudd's performance is unexpectedly emotional, too. Original Miles has to get past his downtrodden put-upon attitude to compete with his new self. The unexpected intrusion lights a fire inside of him that just wouldn't spark when he didn't have a focal point from which to launch.

When Clone Miles realizes his memories were not of his making, it offers a new dimension to the goofy, amenable fellow as he tries to create something substantive of his own that sets him apart from his predecessor.

The result is that each man gets faced with an identity crisis as they try to determine what makes them who they were and who they will be in the future. It's somewhat deep for a comedy, but it works.

Living With Yourself offers most of the comedic elements though the sci-fi cloning aspect, and it offers surprising poignancy as the two men grapple with their new identities and what it means to be happy, loved, and satisfied.

Living With Yourself Trailer: It's Paul Rudd vs. Paul Rudd!

The series runs for eight 30-minute installments, and Rudd dominates the time. Bea finishes a close second, but she spends most of her time as Kate acting as a catalyst for Rudd's various endeavors, so her character isn't nearly as fleshed out as it could be.

The ending is left open in such a way that another season could continue the journey and allow Bea's character to play a much bigger role.

It's the perfect way to spend an afternoon, and at just about four hours, that's the entirety of your commitment. You'll get to giggle a little while also considering if your own life could use a little rejuvenation.

The good news is that moral of the story is that you don't need to go to the lengths OG Miles did to achieve it.

Living With Yourself drops on Netflix Friday, October 18.

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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.