Matthew Perry’s 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

Matthew Perry will forever be known as a sitcom king thanks to his decade-long starring role in Friends, 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.

10

Mr. Sunshine (2011)

Matthew Perry As Ben Donovan

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Mr. Sunshine

TV-PG

Comedy

Sports

Release Date

2011 – 2011

Network

ABC

Cast

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    Adam Rose

    Tommy

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    Ameenah Kaplan

    Angie

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    Anne Bellamy

    Betty

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    Billy Mayo

    Russel

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Mr. Sunshine is 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. Sunshine was an incredibly funny series. Perry still had shades of Chandler Bing of Friends fame 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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9

The Odd Couple (2015-2017)

Matthew Perry As Oscar Madison

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The Odd Couple

TV-PG

Comedy

Family

Release Date

2015 – 2016

Network

CBS

Cast

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    Carol Herman

    Muriel

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Carole Gutierrez

    Annie

  • Headshot Of Dave Foley

    Dave Foley

    Roy

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    David Pressman

    Norman

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Neil Simon’s play The Odd Couple has 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 like Mr. 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 Couple was struggling in the ratings and critics were finding the show’s jokes repetitive. The series was canceled after three seasons.

8

The West Wing (2003)

Matthew Perry As Joe Quincy

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The West Wing

Drama

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9/10

10/10

Release Date

1999 – 2005

Network

NBC

Cast

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    Martin Sheen

  • Headshot Of Bradley Whitford

    Bradley Whitford

Showrunner

Aaron Sorkin

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Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing is recognized as one of the best dramas of the 21st century. Perry worked with Sorkin on the series Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, but before that, he guest starred in three episodes of The 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 in Friends that 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 in The West Wing.

7

17 Again (2009)

Matthew Perry As Mike O’Donnell

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17 Again

PG-13

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

Romance

8/10

Release Date

March 11, 2009

Runtime

105 Minutes

Cast

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    Zac Efron

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    Leslie Mann

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17 Again is in the grand tradition of movies like Big and 13 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 Again helps to remind audiences that he can do comedy in more ways than just the broad sitcom humor he is known for.

Perry’s memoir reveals he would love Zac Efron to play him if there is ever a biopic made about his life.

6

The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Matthew Perry As Nicholas “Oz” Oseransky

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The Whole Nine Yards

R

Comedy

Crime

Release Date

February 18, 2000

Runtime

98 minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Bruce Willis In The Premiere of Motherless Brooklyn

    Bruce Willis

    Jimmy ‘Tulipán’ Tudeski

  • Headshot Of Matthew Perry In The AFI Associates 6th Annual Platinum

    Matthew Perry

    Nicholas ‘Oz’ Oseransky

  • Headshot Of Natasha Henstridge

    Natasha Henstridge

    Cynthia Tudeski

  • Headshot oF Amanda Peet

    Amanda Peet

    Jill St. Claire

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The Whole Nine Years is 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 on Friends. A bet between Perry and Willis on set led to Perry getting Willis to come on the show.

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5

Fools Rush In (1997)

Matthew Perry As Alex Whitman

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Fools Rush In

PG-13

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Release Date

February 14, 1997

Runtime

109 minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Matthew Perry In The AFI Associates 6th Annual Platinum

    Matthew Perry

    Alex Whitman

  • Headshot Of Salma Hayek Pinault

    Salma Hayek Pinault

    Isabel Fuentes

  • Headshot Of Jon Tenney In The Pasadena Playhouse

    Jon Tenney

    Jeff

  • hEADSHOT oF carlos gomez

    carlos gomez

    Chuy

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Though this rom-com initially received mixed reviews, it is 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 In has become something of a cult classic among 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:

4

Numb (2007)

Matthew Perry As Hudson Milbank

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Numb

R

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Release Date

April 30, 2007

Runtime

93 minutes

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Matthew Perry In The AFI Associates 6th Annual Platinum

    Matthew Perry

    Hudson Milbank

  • Headshot Of Lynn Collins In The Amazon Red Carpet Premiere Screening

    Lynn Collins

    Sara Harrison

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    Kevin Pollak

    Tom

  • Headshot Of Bob Gunton

    Bob Gunton

    Dr. Townshend

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…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. Numb garnered 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.

3

The Ron Clark Story (2006)

Matthew Perry As Ron Clark

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The Ron Clark Story

PG

TV Movie

Drama

Cast

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Judith Buchan

  • Headshot Of Matthew Perry In The AFI Associates 6th Annual Platinum

    Matthew Perry

  • Headshot Of Ernie Hudson

    Ernie Hudson

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Griffin Cork

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Release Date

August 13, 2006

Runtime

90 minutes

Director

Randa Haines

Writers

Annie DeYoung

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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 Story is 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 Story is inspired by real events, and Perry 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.

2

Go On (2012-2013)

Matthew Perry As Ryan King

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Go On

TV-PG

Comedy

Drama

Release Date

2012 – 2012

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Matthew Perry In The AFI Associates 6th Annual Platinum

    Matthew Perry

    Ryan King

  • Headshot Of John Cho

    John Cho

    Steven

  • Headshot Of Laura Benanti

    Laura Benanti

    Lauren Schneider

  • Headshot Of Julie White

    Julie White

    Anne

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Go On is another case of Perry being in a show that was canceled too soon. After Mr. Sunshine was canceled with just one season having aired, Perry led Go 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 in Friends for 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.

1

Friends (1994-2004)

Matthew Perry As Chandler Bing

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Friends

Comedy

Drama

Sitcom

ScreenRant logo

8/10

82

8.3/10

Release Date

1994 – 2003

Network

NBC

Cast

See All

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    Jennifer Aniston

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    Courteney Cox

Showrunner

Marta Kauffman

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Could there be any other TV show as Matthew Perry’s best? Though Perry has a long career in movies and television, his legacy is Chandler Bing in Friends. 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.

Friends follows 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, Friends and its cast received more than 250 award nominations from various organizations, winning 65 of them.

One of the great aspects of Friends is 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.