9 Milestones in the Evolution of Courteney Cox
Friends(1994)
Even though Friends producers wanted Cox to play Rachel Greene (the part that would of course go to Jennifer Aniston and her haircut), Cox refused and only agreed to join the sitcom if she could play Monica Geller, the obsessive, competitive and most maternal member of NBC's most famous six-pack cast. This was a turning point in Cox's career -- not just because of the worldwide success of the series, which would last a decade -- but because for the first time, Cox was given the chance to flaunt her natural comedic timing. In spite of her success in this role, Cox was the only cast member not nominated for an Emmy during Friends' run.
Scream(1996)
Cox's success on Friends as a Type A personality led to her casting in Scream as Gale Weathers, the strong-willed and manipulative newscaster willing to endanger her camera crew just to get a scoop. Although Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) may have viewed Gale as a Grade-A bitch, the reporter played a pivotal role in the final 15 minutes of the '90s classic, which would allow Wes Craven's heroine to live another three sequels.
Dirt (2007)
From one power-hungry reporter to another. After wrapping production on three Scream movies (and Friends), the actress executive produced Dirt for FX, a dark comedy series in which Cox starred as Lucy Spiller, the workaholic editor-in-chief of a tabloid who had no qualms about destroying the lives of celebrities. The series only lasted two seasons and will likely be remembered more for the kiss Cox shared with former Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston (below) than anything else.
Cougar Town (2009)
After working with producers Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel on a three-episode Scrubs arc, the three created Cougar Town as a starring vehicle for Cox. As the 40-year-old Jules Cobb -- a real estate agent with a lust for comically over-sized glasses of wine and quirky friends -- Cox's character spent the first six episodes cruising for young tail before settling for her hunky next-door neighbor (Josh Hopkins). Although it is not nearly as popular as Friends, Cougar Town captures the actress at her loosest and funniest. The Hollywood Foreign Press recognized that achievement and nominated her for a Golden Globe in 2010.
Scream 4 (2011)
The Scream franchise has really softened Gale Weathers, both in temperament and hair highlights. Fifteen years after her debut, Cox's six-time author is now married (to real life estranged husband David Arquette's character Sheriff Dewey), bored with small town life and suffering from writer's block, which a curtain call from the Ghostface Killer may or may not be able to cure.
Pages: 1 2
Subscribe to the new Movieline on YouTube
Comments
Whoops I think you forgot "Cocoon: The Return". Actually-this is no joke-when "Ace Ventura" came out I was like, "Ooh-the pretty lady from Family Ties and Cocoon 2!"
You left out her role as the first emo teen with super powers in Misfits of Science.
You forgot the Dancing in the Dark video.
Four years after her weird BLUE DESERT "hyphenate" (rape victim/comic book artist), Cox played another weird hyphenate (rape victim/blind person) in SKETCH ARTIST II: HANDS THAT SEE.
The first SKETCH ARTIST was an unimpressive TV movie in which a police sketch artist (B-film reliable Jeff Fahey) gets caught up in an incoherent noir plot with Sean Young. How Fahey ended up reprising this character has never been adequately explained - supposedly it was a busted pilot - but Fahey is better than usual, and Cox does a fine job. (Her character, blind since birth, memorized the rapist's face during the attack, and she and Fahey try to turn her memory into a usable sketch.)
With that pedigree, SA2 should've been unwatchable. But it's not just an improvement on the first film. Believe it or not - I swear this is true - it's actually a pretty decent and memorable little movie. The reason for this (the only possible reason) is that Jack Sholder directed the sequel, and Sholder was sort of a neglected prototype of Doug Liman. Unlike Liman, Sholder never got a lucky break (like SWINGERS) to vault him into the big leagues. But like Liman, he had a weird knack for rescuing unpromising projects. If Sholder was involved, there was always at least a chance the film would somehow work.
Sadly, Sholder's mostly remembered,if at all, for the first NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET sequel. He should be celebrated for his four low-budget near-classics:
-ALONE IN THE DARK (self-produced,, self-aware slasher);
-BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT (a nifty cross between FAIL-SAFE and the non-comedic part of DR. STRANGELOVE);
12:01 (a Fox TV movie that did the GROUNDHOG DAY premise, did it very well, and most importantly, did it just before GROUNDHOG DAY);
-and, most particularly, THE HIDDEN . . . which I see you've covered already.