Matthew Perrywill forever be known as a sitcom king thanks to his decade-long starring role inFriends, and his best movies and TV shows often have a similar kind of comedy in them. While Perry was adept at both comedy and drama in his work, he seemed to have a particular flare for comedy, particularly that of a sarcastic nature. Even his more dramatic roles have his timing to thank for that little something extra.
Though Perry spent a lot more time on television than he did in movies during his career, some of his best projects were even on the big screen. He shared the camera with Bruce Willis on screens big and small, did made-for-TV movies, and left a lasting legacy in the industry with his heartfelt approach to his work. Perry’s best movies and TV shows are modern classics.
Mr. Sunshineis one of several short-lived sitcoms in which Matthew Perry appeared.Perry also, however, co-created the series, executive produced, and wrote some of the episodes in addition to his starring role.It was clearly a show that he believed in and wanted to see make it for the long haul.
The series focused on the employees of the Sunshine Center, an arena in San Francisco. While Perry played the man in charge of day-to-day operations, he answered to another boss, played by Allison Janney.The big draw of the series, and where much of the humor comes in, is that anything that can go wrong with the events at the arena does, and the employees have to find a way to fix it.
Mr. Sunshinewas an incredibly funny series. Perry still had shades of Chandler Bing ofFriendsfame in the series thanks to his sarcastic humor. The series, however, offered up a lot more slapstick with a cast that was game for anything. Unfortunately, it was not given the chance to grow and was canceled after one season.
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Neil Simon’s playThe Odd Couplehas provided the inspiration for a lot of mismatched pairings in movies and television. It has also been adapted multiple times, including with this sitcom.Much likeMr. Sunshine, Perry starred, wrote, produced, and was a co-creator of this particular series.
The series follows the neat and exacting Felix (Thomas Lennon) and the messy and more brash Oscar (Perry) after they decide to become roommates. Both men decide to team up with their old friend after going through a divorce. They are so different from one another though that their different approaches to nearly every situation is what provides the comedy of the show. Felix is a news writer and photographer who still misses his wife. Oscar is a sports radio host who claims to be over his. They butt heads, but strive to help one another.
The chemistry between Perry and Lennon is largely what helped to keep viewers tuning in and the show on for three seasons.By the third season, however,The Odd Couplewas struggling in the ratings and critics were finding the show’s jokes repetitive. The series was canceled after three seasons.
Aaron Sorkin’sThe West Wingis recognized as one of the best dramas of the 21st century. Perry worked with Sorkin on the seriesStudio 60 On The Sunset Strip, but before that, he guest starred in three episodes ofThe West Wing. The acclaimed series follows the inner workings of the United States President and his White House staff members during both the mundane of the day-to-day and through political crises.
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Perry’s character is an Associate White House Counsel.He is quiet and with a determined work ethic, making the character very different from so many of his comedic roles.His character is responsible for exposing a scandal during one of his appearances.The role proved to those who had only seen Perry inFriendsthat he was more than capable of handling more dramatic roles.
Matthew Perry earned back-to-back Emmy nominations for his role as a guest actor inThe West Wing.
17 Againis in the grand tradition of movies likeBigand13 Going on 30, but this time, it’s not a kid living their adult life. Instead, an adult gets the chance to be 17 again, complicated by the fact that he is 17 in the modern day while his daughter is a high school student.
Matthew Perry is not actually in a huge portion of this movie. Instead, Zac Efron is the movie’s lead, playing the younger version of the character who finds himself in strange situations as he has his teenage body back, but retains the mind of his older self. Efron and Perry, however, are a great match to play the main character.
There is a clear effort to sync up their line deliveries, their mannerisms, and their style of acting in a movie that is a family film with rom-com elements.With so many of Perry’s rom-coms not making a big splash,17 Againhelps to remind audiences that he can do comedy in more ways than just the broad sitcom humor he is known for.
Perry’s memoir revealshe would love Zac Efron to play himif there is ever a biopic made about his life.
The Whole Nine Yearsis a comedy, as most of Matthew Perry’s best movies and TV shows are, but it is also a bit of a crime thriller. That unusual combination of genres as well as Perry’s rapport with Bruce Willis gives the movie its lasting impression, even if critics did not love the movie when it initially released.
It sees Willis as a former member of organized crime who is hiding from the mafia. Perry plays a mild-mannered dentist and his neighbor who is encouraged by his wife to give Willis’ location up in exchange for the reward money. His decision to do that leads to utter chaos as his life is turned upside down.
Willis and Perry have a great give-and-take in their scenes together. Their banter is superb, even if the movie as a whole is not the best organized crime movie out there. The movie can also be credited with getting Willis to guest star onFriends.A bet between Perry and Willison set led to Perry getting Willis to come on the show.
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Though this rom-com initially received mixed reviews, itis the movie Matthew Perry believed to be his best work. Compared to the dozens of television series he was in throughout his time in the acting industry, Perry only appeared in 15 movies, so it’s clear that he was selective in the movie roles he actively pursued.In the years since its release,Fools Rush Inhas become something of a cult classicamong rom-com fans and many recognize it as one of the best of the ‘90s, much like Perry did.
Here, Perry stars opposite Salma Hayek. The two play a couple who have a one-night-stand, and when she discovers she is pregnant months later, decide to make a relationship work for the sake of the child on the way. They jump into marriage and have to learn everything about one another while preparing to be parents.
The movie is hilarious and heartfelt, and Hayek is one of the best scene partners Perry has in his movies. After Perry’s passing, she shared images of the two of them making the movie, and explained how moved she was that he considered their work together his best movie:
…allowed Perry to explore mental health in a compelling way.
One of the subjects that Perry championed in his projects, even in comedies, is the vulnerability that comes with talking about mental health.Perry had his own struggles in his private life, and when depicting mental health issues on screen, he often offered some of the best portrayals.Numbgarnered mixed reviews upon its release, but it is one of those projects that allowed Perry to explore mental health in a compelling way.
In Numb, Perry plays a screenwriter who finds himself having increasing difficulties with his work. When those difficulties lead to him seeking out a therapist, he is diagnosed with depersonalization disorder, a rare disorder in which someone affected becomes increasingly disconnected from reality. To showcase that disconnect, the movie placed Perry’s Hudson in surreal situations.
Perry’s performance here is fantastic. While the movie has plenty of rom-com elements as part of its story, it is Perry allowing himself to be completely vulnerable as Hudson that makes it one of his best movies.
Because Perry devoted so much of his career to television, it should be no surprise that he also appeared in some made-for-TV movies.The Ron Clark Storyis not one of Perry’s usual TV comedies though. The movie chronicles the journey of a small-town teacher who uproots his life to make a difference with his creative methods of reaching students in a New York school. When he is offered the “easy” elementary school class, Clark passes, preferring to teach the sixth grade students who have seen several teachers quit on them.
The Ron Clark Storyis inspired by real events, andPerry brings Clark to life with passion, creativity, and a resolve to help in any way he can.Perry’s commitment to the role is evident in every scene. Critics and his acting peers alike loved Perry in this particular role.He earned nominations from the Golden Globes, Emmys, and Screen Actors Guild for playing Ron Clark.
Go Onis another case of Perry being in a show that was canceled too soon. AfterMr. Sunshinewas canceled with just one season having aired, Perry ledGo On, but the same happened here despite the show being even better received than the other sitcom.
Go On, at its core, is about dealing with grief. That can be a heavy subject for a comedic series, but the show makes it work. Perry stars as Ryan King, a host of a sports talk radio show, who joins a support group after the loss of his wife. While he intends to use the group to help him move past his grief, he finds himself supporting the other members of the group more often than not as he becomes entangled in their lives and their quirky habits.
The series is a great way to showcase Perry’s distinct acting style.The sarcasm and self-deprecating humor he is best-known for as a result of starring inFriendsfor a decade is often the common throughline in his other work. His comedic style is on display here, but he also gets to dig into more dramatic storylines and give more complex performances.
While the series might not have earned another season at NBC, it did get Perry the Chinese Huading Award in 2013 for Best Global Actor in a Television Series.
Could there be any other TV show as Matthew Perry’s best? Though Perry has a long career in movies and television, his legacy isChandler Bing inFriends.The role is incredibly beloved by the audiences who watched “must see TV” on NBC when the series aired live and those who have found the show on streaming in a later generation.
Friendsfollows a group of characters in their twenties and thirties as they grow up and take on more adult roles in their own lives. Perry’s Chandler begins the series as a commitment-phobic man who would rather make sarcastic comments about his life than deal with his own emotions. While he retains that sarcasm throughout the series, Chandler, like all of the titular friends, becomes more mature and more willing to own up to his own mistakes and insecurities.
Perry was nominated for an Emmy for his work on Friends. Throughout its run,Friendsand its cast received more than 250 award nominations from various organizations, winning 65 of them.
One of the great aspects ofFriendsis that, for all of its running gags and one-liners from the characters, the show is also full of a tremendous amount of heart.The more dramatic and emotional moments might not be there as often, but when they are, they certainly add to the show’s appeal. Chandler and his connections to the group are a big part of that.
