Courteney Cox's Worst Movie Might Be Her Forgotten Superhero Flop With Tim Allen

"Friends" ended in 2004, and two years later, Courteney Cox looked like she might never enjoy the same success when she co-starred in "Zoom." The Tim Allen-led superhero comedy, itself based on a children's book, was a dud in every respect, although Cox managed to recover from its career-wise. Even so, with a 5% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Zoom" remains both her lowest-rated film on the review aggregator and one of the worst, if not the worst, movies she's ever made.

When you star in one of the best sitcoms of all time, it can be tough to break away from that fame. Just ask Joey actor Matt LeBlanc, whose 1998 flop "Lost in Space" not only failed to revive a classic sci-fi property but pretty much ended the actor's movie career before it had a chance to take off. Cox, however, had already proven her big screen capabilities prior to "Friends" by playing reporter Gale Weathers in the "Scream" films. But after the show wrapped up in May 2004, she struggled to maintain her status as a movie star.

Indeed, her psychological thriller "November," which arrived two months after that, failed to cause much of a stir. Next came her role in 2006's "Barnyard," a somewhat commercially successful animated film that was dismissed by critics. But the reviews for "Barnyard" were nothing compared to those for Cox's next project. "Zoom" was, in fact, savaged by critics, who found the whole thing laughable in a way that Allen and Cox hadn't intended.

Courteney Cox's "Friends" fame was a major obstacle to her casting in "Scream," but she managed to win over director Wes Craven with a letter. It's a good thing she did, too, as the movie was her first major big screen win following her debut as Monica Gellar. Unfortunately, Cox struggled to maintain her film stardom alongside the success of her beloved sitcom. To this day, the "Scream" movies remain her most significant cinematic success story, with Cox even setting a cool horror movie record thanks to her turn in 2023's "Scream VI." She also set a record with "Zoom," albeit in a very different way.

The film, which is also known as "Zoom: Academy for Superheroes," is based on Jason Lethcoe's children's book "Amazing Adventures from Zoom's Academy." It was directed by English filmmaker Peter Hewitt, who was coming off the box office success of 2004's "Garfield: The Movie." His next attempt at adapting children's entertainment for the big screen, however, was not a box office success, much less a critical one.

"Zoom" stars Tim Allen as Jack Shepard, a former superhero — previously known as Captain Zoom — who lost his powers long ago due to a tragic incident in which he was forced to kill Connor (Kevin Zegers), aka Concussion, his brother and fellow superhero. Jack is then recruited to lead the new version of his old superhero team, the Zenith Project, against Connor, who it turns out is still alive and preparing to escape the alternate dimension where he's been trapped this whole time. Cox, meanwhile, plays Zenith psychologist Marsha Holloway, who's enamored with Allen's retired hero ... unlike critics and just about everyone else in the real world, it seems.

"Zoom" is basically a movie about Tim Allen training a bunch of young superheroes. Things start off rough, with his new team rebelling against Jack, who doesn't take his job as a mentor seriously. But, of course, they eventually come together to face off with Concussion and even get a little help from Courteney Cox's scientist (who has some secrets of her own).

"Zoom" was a box office bomb, making just $12.5 million against a $75.6 million budget. Worse still were the reviews. Rob Mackie of The Guardian gave the superhero flick one star out of five, writing, "The title describes the sound that you should make in your car, or on foot, or on mule, heading away from any cinema showing this film." Elsewhere, Lisa Schwarzbaum was equally unimpressed, writing for Entertainment Weekly, "In a feat of dullness quite powerful in its own way, this lifeless family comedy sucks the joy from every joke it touches." Apparently, Allen had a hand in shaping the script, so that tracks.

Ultimately, "Zoom" snagged Allen a Razzie Award nod for Worst Actor. And yes, the Razzies themselves should be permanently retired, but Cox was no doubt happy to dodge such a similar dishonor all the same. Nevertheless, "Zoom" is still regarded as one of her worst films to date, be it on Letterboxd or on Rotten Tomatoes. And unlike the fantasy flop "Masters of the Universe," which Cox starred in back in her pre-"Friends" days, it's unlikely to achieve so-bad-it's-good status anytime soon.