What Friends Are For

The end of ''Friends'' is more than a full season away, but that hasn't stopped the show's cast from hustling for other work. This month two of Central Perk's regulars, Jennifer Aniston (''The Good Girl'') and Matthew Perry (''Serving Sara'') have feature films in theaters, and the rest of their coffee klatch isn't far behind. But upgrading from the small screen to the big one isn't always a smooth transition. (Remember Matt LeBlanc's baseball-playing chimp flick ''Ed''? Didn't think so.) EW.com evaluates which Friends have what it takes to become A-list movie stars, and which ones may want to save their $1 million-per-episode paychecks just in case.

JENNIFER ANISTON With modest performers like 1996's ''She's the One,'' 1997's ''Picture Perfect,'' 1999's ''Office Space'' and last year's ''Rock Star,'' Aniston hasn't posed much of a threat to Julia Roberts' career. But this year the Emmy nominee is trying something a little different. Having shown off her acting chops riding pregnancy's mood swings on ''Friends,'' Aniston is hoping to distract fans from her latest hairstyle by playing a frumpy, adulterous salesgirl in ''The Good Girl.'' The blue-collar indie drama is a stereotype-busting move that worked for John Travolta in ''Pulp Fiction,'' but that was a looong time ago. ''It used to be a coup to land these indie roles, but now mainstream faces in these movies are a dime a dozen,'' says Adam Farasati, media analyst for ReelSource. ''It's exposure, but it won't gain her much.'' Coming up for Aniston: In next year's comedy ''Bruce Almighty,'' she plays the girlfriend of a persistent whiner (box office darling Jim Carrey). ''If she mixes more predictable choices, like comedies, with the edgy artistic stuff she wants to do, that's the best road,'' explains Box Office Guru analyst Gitesh Pandya. ''Then audiences can decide what they like her in.''
A-LIST ODDS: 2 to 1

COURTENEY COX ARQUETTE Her film career had a promising start (1994's ''Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,'' the ''Scream'' trilogy) but somehow ended up in the slag heap of straight-to-video hell (''Get Well Soon,'' ''The Runner''). Cox doesn't seem to be in a rush to erase our bad memories of ''3000 Miles to Graceland'' either; she has no new movies coming out this year. And even though she's only five years older than Aniston, Hollywood may consider her too long in the tooth for leading roles. ''She's just at an age where they won't offer the same roles as Aniston,'' admits Farasati. ''And there's the cool factor. She's married to David Arquette, Jennifer Aniston's married to Brad Pitt. You figure it out.'' Ouch.
A-LIST ODDS: 8 to 1

LISA KUDROW She may play the dim-witted Phoebe, but Kudrow's made some savvy choices when it comes to her movie career (''Analyze This,'' ''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion,'' ''The Opposite of Sex''). Still, leading-lady status has eluded her (the disastrous ''Lucky Numbers,'' ''Hanging Up''). ''She's very much looked at as a supporting player,'' says Pandya. ''Even on the show, she's the sidekick, the Friend who comes by the apartment.'' Kudrow's upcoming film roles could change that: In next year's comedy ''Marci X,'' she plays the beleaguered head of a hard-core rap label opposite fellow cutup Damon Wayans. But even though she's shown dramatic range in ''The Opposite of Sex,'' Kudrow may be stuck with funny fare if she wants starring roles in mainstream movies. ''Both she and Matt LeBlanc are known as the dumb characters,'' says Pandya. ''It's hard to break free of that.''
A-LIST ODDS: 4 to 1

MATT LEBLANC He may be the cute one, but he's also the only Friend with a chimp movie under his belt. Lately LeBlanc has been keeping a low movie profile, starring in 1998's underwhelming ''Lost in Space'' and making a brief cameo in ''Charlie's Angels.'' LeBlanc, who will reprise his role in an ''Angels'' sequel next year, will be seen this fall in a low-budget comedy: In ''All the Queen's Men'' (opens Oct. 25), he plays a WWII-era Secret Service agent who must infiltrate a factory disguised as a woman (comedian Eddie Izzard costars as the cross-dresser that shows him the ropes). If imagining Joey Tribbiani as a wily spy is tough, that's exactly the problem LeBlanc is likely to face in scoring high-profile roles. ''John Travolta started as a Sweathog, and it took him decades to completely outgrow the goofy guy persona,'' says Farasati. ''LeBlanc's going to have the same problem.'' Quentin Tarantino, where are you?
A-LIST ODDS: 5 to 1

MATTHEW PERRY So far, Perry's had a pretty good Bing going: He hasn't strayed far from Chandler on the big screen, playing an average wiseguy in 1997's ''Fools Rush In,'' ''Three to Tango,'' and ''The Whole Nine Yards.'' Now ''Serving Sara'' (opens Aug. 23) and a sequel to ''Whole Nine'' due next year promise more of Perry's smart-ass brand of humor. ''He is to romantic comedies what 'Saturday Night Live' spinoff movies are to regular comedies,'' says Farasati. ''People may think they're rinky-dink, but they turn a profit. And sooner or later, one becomes a runaway hit.'' Though Perry isn't challenging himself with indie roles like some of his Friends, he may not need them. Unlike LeBlanc's dumb guy and Schwimmer's geek, Perry's on-screen persona as the witty regular guy has a broader appeal. That image has taken some of the tarnish off his personal problems as well. ''Like Hugh Grant, he's playing likable, funny characters and the quirks are just part of the personality. So the shenanigans aren't going to hurt him.'' Just so long as he doesn't do a sequel to ''Three to Tango.''
A-LIST ODDS: 2 to 1

DAVID SCHWIMMER You'd think romancing Rachel would get some of Aniston's heat to rub off on Schwimmer, but no such luck. Hoping to play off of Ross' goofy charm, the romantic comedy ''Kissing A Fool'' grossed a feeble $4 million at the box office, and ''The Pallbearer'' was also DOA. So far, Schwimmer's most interesting non-''Friends'' roles have been quirky parts for TV: a smarmy plastic surgeon in 1997's ''Breast Men'' and a Jewish rebel in the WWII miniseries ''Uprising.'' By turning his back on romantic comedies, Schwimmer may be able to forge a more interesting, if offbeat, career for himself after ''Friends.'' ''This is a move in the right direction, because people are seeing that he can play a different kind of character than Ross,'' says Pandya. His latest role is also equally idiosyncratic: He stars in Mike Figgis' ''Hotel,'' an experimental film that splits the screen between four different storylines. Big box office? Not likely. But when you have as much money as he has, who cares?
A-LIST ODDS: 10 to 1

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