The documentary “The One About Matthew Perry” was released on Netflix on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and was directed by Emmy winner Mary Robertson.
“The One About Metthew Perry” follows actor Matthew Perry and the story of his life, from his career to struggles with addiction. There are video clips provided by his sister, friends, co-workers and others who knew Perry.
I really enjoyed this documentary. The stories that his friends shared shone so much light on his character and deep care for others. The documentary is divided into three episodes that are approximately one hour long each.
One of the first lines in the documentary is from Perry. He said, “God, you can do anything you want to me, just please make me famous.” The documentary provides information about the consequences of that wish.
A member of the “Friends” production team shared that all the casting was easy except for the role of Chandler. Chandler was the last to be cast, but it took producers less than 30 seconds to know Perry was the man for the job.
Mia Perry Bowick, Perry’s sister, said she was skeptical about sharing what happened. She said she remembers Perry’s face in his prime before things got bad.
The documentary provided information about Perry’s childhood. Whether or not he got a laugh would put him in a tailspin, according to the several interviews from the documentary.
After six months of being famous, Perry realized it did not fix his underlying problems with his feelings, according to the interviews. Bowick shared that it was impossible to fix the emptiness and loneliness. Perry was found to be in early stages of chemical dependency.
In episode two, Perry shares that being famous is 85% of your dreams coming true and 15% scary, strange and weird. Bowick said that she was in disbelief when Perry was in treatment for drug abuse until she found out he was in a rehabilitation center. According to the interviews, Matthew tried other drugs to balance out his drinking. Bowick said that Perry could never make it to a year of sobriety. As time passed, Perry started to sponsor people in Alcoholics Anonymous to help as many as he could.
The documentary provided background about several news interviews where Perry shared his struggle with addiction and advocated for others struggling with addiction. Perry spent over six million dollars trying to be sober, according to an interview. Perry identified himself as an addict in a television clip.
The documentary also sheds light on Perry’s writing work. Perry wrote and starred in a play called “The End of Longing.” The play is about a man struggling with alcoholism. He also wrote a book.
Episode 3 opens with Perry in a hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in 2018 after his colon ruptured. The documentary provided background on his recovery process, explaining that Perry was showing signs of waking up just a few weeks in, but was in the hospital for a long time.
The documentary also discusses studies showing that ketamine could be beneficial for mental health. Perry once shared that he felt as though he had multiple lives while he was on ketamine. He published a memoir with the opening explaining that he should be dead. The book was a huge success, and his sister said Perry was as happy as he ever had been.
When Perry’s friends and family found out he had passed, they were in disbelief. Perry drowned in a hot tub, and a report later revealed he died from acute effects of ketamine.
Rating: 5/5