That’s what the episode of Friends would be called if it were about my grief upon hearing the news of Matthew Perry’s sudden death.
It would be easy to single out his performance on Friends, hilarious as it was.
- “Oh, please, could she be more out of my league?” (This one was hard to narrow down.)
- The sound he made when he “cracked the whip” wa-pah!
- “Gum would be perfection.
- Side note: The way he tells Joey, “I’m stuck. In an ATM vestibule. With Jill Goodacre,” kind of like a ventriloquist—teeth together, lips barely parted—Vic and I talked that way for the rest of his life whenever we wanted to be funny. We were never as funny as Matthew, but still.
- Janice. If anyone could steal the thunder from Matthew Perry’s Chandler, it was Maggie Wheeler’s Janice. But his reactions to her were priceless—as much a part of Chandler Bing lore as any of his own lines. I said to my nephew and my sister and my friend last night, “What if he’s actually in Yemen because he wants to get away from Janice??” If only that could be true.
- “The fifth dentist caved and now they’re all recommending Trident?”
- This is another one that stuck with us forever. Whenever one of us would ask the other, “Guess what?” the other would answer with this line of Chandler’s.
In hearing about his life last year when he was promoting his memoir, it sounded like his real life mirrored Chandler’s in many ways. It’s probably what made his performance so grounded and why so many of his one-liners hit so close to home for those who also use humor to deflect pain or to mask underlying fear. Vic always used humor when he was in the hospital or at the doctor’s office.
But Matthew Perry was more than Chandler Bing.
His first movie after gaining Friends fame was Fools Rush In. Yes, he played a very Chandler Bing-esque character, but that didn’t matter. He was wonderful. I defy you not to cry when Alex (Matthew Perry) says to Isabel (Salma Hayak), “You’re everything I never knew I always wanted.” (Although I’ll admit our favorite line was said by Alex’s friend/business partner Jeff [Jon Tenney], who said about Las Vegas: “Why didn’t they just build this place on the surface of the f***ing sun?” Whenever we were hot after that, we said that. I continue to say it to this very day.
Another favorite of ours: The Whole Nine Yards. Height of Friends fame for Matthew Perry, but Bruce Willis hasn’t done a comedy since Moonlighting. This team was a winner. Chandler Bing and John McClane. Add in a relatively unknown Amanda Peet and you have the makings of comedy gold. It was just a fun movie, with Bruce Willis poking fun at his action hero persona.
But there were also some stinkers in there, and I wonder whether that is why he returned to the small screen—and in dramatic roles. Look at his Joe Quincy on The West Wing, a role he was nominated for an Emmy for—twice. And he was only on the show for three episodes! Thank goodness he met Aaron Sorkin, because Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a brilliant Sorkin show that starred Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford and a whole bunch of top talent (including the by-now very popular Amanda Peet). No, it didn’t catch on, but we loved it and were gutted when it was canceled after only one season. But again, this showed us our Matthew as a dramatic actor. It was something he was exceedingly good at.
Unfortunately, Matthew never caught fire again, and that’s sad because he was always amazing in everything he did. He elevated not-so-great material, and he made great material really shine.
Mr. Sunshine was one of the former. It was a slapstick comedy with the great Allison Janney (his West Wing costar) and Andrea Anders (who was recently so heartbreaking in Ted Lasso). Maybe the time for slapstick was over, but I would have watched it forever.
Another fabulous guest spot he did was as Mike Kresteva on The Good Wife (a role he reprised on The Good Fight). It was just so fun to see his face pop up on various shows (such as Cougar Town and Web Therapy, series with his former Friends Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, respectively). And he did find a measure of success with a revival of The Odd Couple that I was hoping would turn his fortunes around. Alas, it didn’t, and then his health troubles started and he disappeared from screens altogether.
But the one post-Friends role that I am really drawn to—then (2012–2013, when it first aired and Vic and I watched it together) and now (for reasons that will soon be clear)—was Go On. Go On, like Studio 60, lasted only one season, and again we were disappointed when it was canceled. Matthew Perry plays a sports radio host whose wife has recently passed away. The cast is impeccable: Laura Benanti, Julie White, Suzy Nakamura, Brett Gelman, Sarah Baker, Tyler James Williams, Allison Miller, Bill Cobbs, Piper Perabo, John Cho—every single one of these actors is still working today. It was the second thing I thought of when I heard Matthew had passed away, and I immediately started watching it (it’s on the Roku channel).
I urge you to Google any one of these shows (or all of them, or go to YouTube and search “best of matthew perry”—you’ll lose an entire day, like I did, but it’ll be worth it).
During his book tour last year, Matthew said, “I’d like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker.” And his paramount thing is that he just wanted to help people.
Well, Matthew Perry, you helped people. You made us laugh. You made us cry. And then you made us laugh again. Rest in peace, Ms. Chanandler Bong.
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