Much like her five co-stars, Jenniefer Aniston made a name for herself with Friends. The timeless sitcom made Aniston one of the 1990s biggest stars, and, out of the six friends, she’s the one who’s found the most success after the show came to an end. The actress mostly starred in comedies and romantic comedies, but more recently she started branching out and taking roles in drama movies.
Aniston has also made some guest appearances on TV shows, and, in 2019, she’s set to return to the small screens in a starring role in The Morning Show, as well as two Netflix movies: Murder Mystery and First Ladies. Over the years, the actress has kept pretty busy, so today we’re listing her ten best roles after Friends.
LIFE OF CRIME
Adapted from Elmore Leonard’s 1978 novel The Switch, the 2014 movie Life of Crime stars Jennifer Aniston as a stoic socialite Mickey Dawson who becomes the target of an ill-planned kidnapping plot. When her rich husband, who happens to be on the cusp on filing for divorce, refuses to pay the ransom her kidnappers must find a way to turn the tables.
The film received mostly positive reviews with critics praising the cast and calling Aniston’s performance a return to her glory days on Friends. Audiences, on the other hand, weren’t quite taken by Life of Crime.
STORKS
This is by no means an award-worthy film, but it’s a fun, heartwarming family cartoon that carries powerful messages for all generations. Aniston and the rest of the cast deliver outstanding performances and the soundtrack is pretty good.
WANDERLUST
In the 2012 David Wain movie Wanderlust, Jennifer Aniston reunited with her Friends co-star Paul Rudd, aka Phoebe’s husband Mike Hannigan. The two star as a married couple who escapes their modern life by joining a hippie commune in Georgia. The film got mixed reviews from the critics and definitely doesn’t always hit the mark, but both Rudd and Aniston turn in excellent performances.
With incredible on-screen chemistry and more than enough talent between the two of them, Rudd and Aniston elevate the film during its more boring parts. Aniston was even awarded a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedic Movie Actress.
WE’RE THE MILLERS
In 2013, Jennifer Aniston starred alongside Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, and Will Pouter in the comedy movie We’re the Millers, which follows a small-town pot dealer played by Sudeikis who convinces his neighbors to help him smuggle drugs from Mexico into the United States by pretending to be his family. The film didn’t earn any points with the critics, but the audiences loved it.
But, let’s face it, We’re the Millers was made for the audience. It’s a silly comedy with a solid cast and a ridiculous plot that manages to get the laughs, and sometimes that’s just what you need.
THE SWITCH
In the 2010 romantic comedy The Switch, directed by Josh Gordon, Jennifer Aniston stars opposite Jason Bateman, as Kassie, a smart, fun-loving single woman who decides to have a baby with a little help from a charming sperm donor. However, seven years after the fact, it turns out that due to a last-minute switch (get it?) the donor was, in fact, her best friend Wally.
The Switch may have a formulaic plot, but it’s just good enough for a romantic comedy. Like most rom-coms, it relies on the overused and abused genre tropes, but thanks to Aniston and Bateman’s excellent chemistry The Switch manages to get the laughs and evoke warm fuzzy feelings.
DUMPLIN'
In 2018, Jennifer Aniston starred in Dumplin’, a coming-of-age comedy film created by Anne Fletcher and written by Kristin Hahn. The movie follows Willowdean Dickson, nicknamed Dumplin’, the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen Rosie Dickson, portrayed by Aniston. Dumplin’ signs up for her mom’s Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a form of protest, and it all comes to a head when other contestants follow in her footsteps, revolutionizing their small Texas town.
The film received mostly positive reviews with the critics praising its Dolly Parton soundtrack as well as the cast. If you’re in the mood for a teen comedy, perhaps give Dumplin’ a chance.
MARLEY & ME
Marley & Me isn’t for the faint of heart. If, however, you don’t mind bawling your eyes out then you should totally watch this heartwarming and heart-wrenching romantic comedy. Starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston as a young married couple, John and Jenny, who decides to adopt a dog, Marley, to see if they’re ready to raise a family.
The mischievous Labrador retriever puts them through a lot of trouble as he refuses to be trained, but the couple’s adventures with Marley prove to be excellent material for John’s new column. Marley & Me is an endearing movie about the relationship between humans and their beloved dogs that will make you laugh and cry.
COUGAR TOWN
Cougar Town is 2009 sitcom that starred Courteney Cox, aka Monica Geller from Friends, as Jules Cobb – a recently divorced woman in her 40s facing new challenges together with her son and friends. In the first episode of season two, titled “All Mixed Up”, Monica and Rachel reunited when Jennifer Aniston guest-starred as Jules’ new therapist named Glenn.
The two hit it off, relating to each other due to their close relationships with their respective sons until it turns out that Glenn had, in fact, been talking about her pet dog. TV commentators praised the storyline and Aniston’s performance. But, most importantly, Friends fans rejoiced at the sight of these two best friends back together.
HORRIBLE BOSSES
Directed by Seth Gordon, the 2011 movie Horrible Bosses follows the three friends portrayed by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis, who decide to murder their respective abusive bosses, portrayed by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell. The movie received generally positive reviews and was met with commercial success at the box office.
The film was mostly praised for its smartly assembled and hilarious cast. Aniston portrayed Dr. Julia Harris, a very sexually aggressive boss of Charlie Day’s character Dale, and her performance was met with critical acclaim, with critics commending her comic timing.
CAKE
The 2014 film Cake, directed by Daniel Barnz, written by Patrick Tobin, and starring Jennifer Aniston, was a box office flop. That being said, the movie wasn’t a complete failure for Aniston as her rare dramatic performance was highly praised and brought her nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globe Award. Some even called it Oscar-worthy.
Aniston stars as Claire Bennett, a former Los Angeles defense attorney who is left physically and emotionally disabled after surviving a car accident that killed her son, as she struggles to cope with chronic pain. While the film itself got mixed reviews, Aniston’s performance was almost universally praised.
