In the aftermath of his death, many people have looked back onFriends‘ star Matthew Perry‘s entire career to find ways to appreciate what he brought to all of his various projects.
While most people agree that Perry was never able to fully replicate the enormous success he had withFriends, he was undeniably a captivating screen presence, and there is a huge array of other TV and movie projects that highlight his skills as an actor and comedian.His death was an undeniable tragedy, but Perry left us with plenty of great examples of just how brilliant he could be on-screen.
17 Again (2009)
Perry’s last film role,17 Againis an underrated comedy that Perry elevates from the second the movie begins. The movie, which is almost like a reverse version ofBig, is primarily a Zac Efron vehicle and imagines a middle-aged man who finds himself transformed into his teenage self once again.
The film gives its opening and closing moments to Perry, though, and it’s Perry who elevates the movie’s comedy and laces it with vulnerability. While17 Againmay not be a perfect movie, it’s got plenty of charm, and Perry is one of the movie’s assets from the second he shows up on screen.
The Odd Couple (2015-2017)
After you’ve starred in something likeFriends, every other sitcom role you take on can feel like a bit of a comedown. Even so, Perry’s run onThe Odd Couplecaptured much of the magic that made him one of the best joke deliverers onFriends.
The show was a reboot of a classic sitcom, and this version followed Perry as Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon as his much more uptight roommate Felix Unger. Perry also served as an executive producer on this show, and while you might think thatThe Odd Coupleis a little conventional, it’s hard to deny that it was funny.
Go On (2012-2013)
A more unconventional dramedy,Go Onfollows Perry as a sports radio host who joins a support group to work through the death of his wife. AlthoughGo Onis, at least in theory, a comedy, it’s one that’s laced with meaty conversations about grief and death.
Perry didn’t often get the chance to show off his purely dramatic chops onFriends, but when he did, he showed impressive levels of pathos and vulnerability.Go Ongives him more opportunities to play the dramatic end of things, even as he maintains the wry wit that made him so popular onFriends.
Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip (2006-2007)
Perry’s first post-FriendsTV project wasStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which also happened to be writer Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up toThe West Wing. Set behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show that is similar toSaturday Night Live, but is emphatically notSNL,Studio 60gave Perry a chance to deliver his take on some of the sharpest and most distinct writing on TV.
Studio 60was not the kind of enormous success thatThe West Winghad been, but the show still has its defenders, and it’s undeniably a great opportunity for Perry to show what he was capable of.
Fools Rush In (1997)
A romantic comedy that may have felt forgettable when it was first released,Fools Rush Infeels like a revelation in retrospect. The movie, which was released whileFriendswas still fairly early in its run, follows Perry’s character as he is forced to confront real responsibilities for the first time.
A perpetual bachelor who finds out that he got a woman (played byBlack Mirror‘s Salma Hayek) pregnant during a one-night stand, he must wrestle with familial expectations and what he wants from his own life. It’s a wonderful performance from Perry, who on top of delivering solid jokes, also has wonderful chemistry with Hayek.
