Three Matthew Perry movies worth revisiting after ‘The One About Matthew Perry’
Oh, for heaven’s sake, Netflix. As though missing Matthew Perry wasn’t bad enough, you’ve gone and released The One About Matthew Perry, and now even Chandler Bing’s silliest wisecracks come with a lump in the throat. Three years, eh? Still hurts the same.
Ten seasons of FRIENDS made Perry a household name, but come on, his talent wasn’t confined to Central Perk, and so far, the world has agreed that the man could make an ordinary line funnier with one exasperated look than most actors could with an entire scene.
His 2022 memoir showed just how much he had been through with addiction, and it’s heartbreaking to think he was making millions of us laugh while dealing with all that behind the scenes.
So, if Netflix’s new documentary has left you missing Perry and you’ve done twenty more reruns of FRIENDS, these three films on Netflix deserve another watch, because Chandler made him a household name, but his Hollywood career had plenty more to offer.
Three Matthew Perry movies worth revisiting on Netflix
The Whole Nine Yards (Jonathan Lynn, 2000)
Bruce Willis as a hitman and Matthew Perry as a dentist sounds like a peculiar concept, and who on earth thought of putting these two together? But God, it worked like magic! In The Whole Nine Yards, Perry plays Nicholas ‘Oz’ Oseransky, a man with enough problems and a miserable marriage. And then, as if life hasn’t kicked him in the teeth enough, Jimmy ‘The Tulip’ Tudeski (Willis), a mob informant with a price on his head, moves in next door.
Just then, Oz’s wife Sophie (Rosanna Arquette) gets a cracking idea. Why not rat him out to the mob and pocket the reward money? Sounds like a dangerous plan, but why not!
The film turned out to be a box-office hit, and Willis ended up playing Rachel’s boyfriend, Paul Stevens, in Friends that same year. Gosh, the man even won himself an Emmy for it! But watching Perry go toe-to-toe with one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars and more than hold his own, well, that just makes you miss him even more. Nobody could make a complete nervous breakdown look as funny as Matthew Perry. Nobody!
The Whole Ten Yards (Howard Deutch, 2004)
2004 was a tough year for FRIENDS fans, as the show came to an end, but most were happy since they were getting to see Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis back together in The Whole Ten Yards! Back then, they went into the life of poor Oz, who can’t seem to catch a bloody break.
This time, his wife Cynthia (Natasha Henstridge) gets kidnapped by the Hungarian mob, and who’s he supposed to turn to? Jimmy ‘The Tulip’ Tudeski (Willis), of course! Except Jimmy’s retired from killing people and would much rather potter about at home with Jill (Amanda Peet).
Now, look, the critics gave this sequel an absolute kicking, and fair enough, it hasn’t got the same spark as the first film. But come on, watching Perry get himself worked into a state trying to talk sense into a guy who used to murder people for a living? That’s worth a laugh.
17 Again (Burr Steers, 2009)
Five years after FRIENDS ended, Matthew Perry got himself another comedy where he plays Mike O’Donnell, a man who was once a promising basketball star but gave it all up to start a family. And now? Now, he is 37, and his marriage to Scarlett (Leslie Mann) is falling apart while his own kids can’t stand him. Naturally, like any other sensible person, he starts wondering where the hell his life went wrong.
But then something insane happens, and he wakes up in his 17-year-old body, with Zac Efron playing the younger Mike. Imagine spending years wishing you could go back and do things differently, only to get your wish and realise you haven’t got a clue what to do next.
The frustrating part is Perry doesn’t get enough screen time, but Efron made a point of studying his comic timing, so you’d believe they were the same person. And he’s spoken with so much love and admiration for Perry since. But you know what makes this even harder to watch? This was Perry’s last film role. Yes, a comedy about a man desperate for a second chance, starring someone we all wish could’ve had so much more time.