‘The One About Matthew Perry’ Review: Netflix’s Intimate and Sincere but Overly Padded Docuseries
Netflix’s three-part *The One About Matthew Perry* is a sincere, mostly non-exploitative examination of addiction and celebrity, told largely through people outside Perry’s circle of famous co-stars. The review says its focus on those left grappling with what they knew or could do gives the series emotional weight, though viewers expecting a definitive portrait of Perry or his acting career may be disappointed.
The series includes biographical details and familiar *Friends* clips, but the review finds this material perfunctory and the overall programme padded. Perry’s co-stars and major *Friends* creatives do not appear; contributors include his younger sister Mia Perry Bowick and people who worked with him on projects such as *Fools Rush In* and *The Whole Nine Yards*. The reviewer suggests a focused, 100-minute film could have worked better.
In short
- A sincere look at addiction and celebrity from those around Perry.
- His famous co-stars and major *Friends* creatives are absent.
- The review finds the three-part series overly padded.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The series’ intimate focus on people outside Perry’s circle of famous co-stars can offer a thoughtful account of addiction’s effects on those around a person, while avoiding a conventional celebrity tribute. Its sincerity and restraint give emotional weight to contributors’ reflections, even if it does not aim to be a definitive career portrait.
The case against
Viewers may reasonably expect a documentary about Perry to explore his life and acting in greater depth, including perspectives from his Friends co-stars and key collaborators. The perfunctory biographical material and familiar clips may leave that portrait feeling incomplete, while the three-part format can seem padded where a shorter film might have made its point more effectively.
Explained simply
Matthew Perry was an actor best known for playing Chandler Bing in the American sitcom Friends, which became a major hit around the world. He also appeared in films such as Fools Rush In and The Whole Nine Yards. Perry spoke publicly about his struggles with addiction, a condition that can involve dependence on alcohol or drugs and affect a person’s health and relationships.
Stories about addiction and famous people often raise questions about what those around them knew and how they tried to help. Perry’s family and people who worked with him offer perspectives beyond those of his best-known co-stars. That wider view helps explain why a programme about him may focus on the people around him as well as his career.
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