Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir by Matthew Perry
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”
So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.
In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety.
Let me start this review by saying I am not a ginormous Matthew Perry fan.
I don’t DISLIKE him or anything….he has always been just kinda “meh” for me.
I mean, OF COURSE I was like tons of other teen/early 20s females in the mid/late 90s and was obsessed with Friends and all the rom coms people FROM Friends were in at the time.
But I never was one to be enamored by him. (Matthew Leblanc? That’s another story….. lol)
Entertained by him? Sure.
I found Chandler to be quite funny….His self depricating sarcastic sense of humor and unique way of speaking was totally my kind of jam back then (could he BE any funnier?) and he made me crack some giggles plenty of times.
But still….. just kinda “meh” for me.
So I am not real sure why I was drawn to reading his memoir lol ….except that I am very nosy and love hearing all the REAL stories from celebrity’s lives. (I guess I’m a tacky voyeur that way)
Also, I always find myself drawn to stories—fictional and real—about people who struggle with addiction.
There are many people I love and care for in my own life that have dealt with–and continue to deal with– fighting that disease.
I have seen them struggle, lie, hurt, steal, destroy, heal, recover SO MANY TIMES….and then do it all over again.
I can never know first hand how debilitating and overpowering and frustrating and painful it is to struggle the way people with addiction struggle.
But hearing their individual and unique stories DOES help me have more empathy, compassion and understanding toward their journeys and their lives.
Matthew Perry shares it ALL in these pages, yall.
He is straight up honest about his fight….and trust me, it is NOT sugar coated or flattering.
He is real and blunt and to the point, even when it makes him look like a huge idiot or a selfish asshole.
I think the reason he ISN’T an asshole though is that he is able to recognize the times when he HAS been one.
Spoiler alert: it usually is when he is not sober OR when he is miserable from trying to GET sober.
He shares plenty acting related stories in these pages, but doesn’t blame Hollywood for his downfalls.
Plus, he has a very strong faith now that he references quite a bit, and that was interesting to read about too.
I didn’t know much about Matthew Perry before reading this….but I am glad I do now.
I appreciated his candor about EVERYTHING.
He seriously should have died MULTIPLE times from all the complications his body had from his various addictions…it was shocking to hear about.
And while the book tackles pretty serious issues, he still finds a way to bring that “Chandler-esque” humor to it all.
Which sounds hella weird…but it works somehow.
Glad I read it…and I can say now that my “meh” opinion of him has officially changed to “he’s alright”
lol