Montecito Award (Jennifer Aniston, 2015): SBIFF

Reviewed by Rachel Donovan. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2015.

Okay, I definitely have the biggest girl crush on Jennifer Aniston, and despite what some may say, I think she’s hilarious and a great actress. And, hello? She gets more stunning every year. Maybe it’s a little jealousy mixed in with that girl crush too…

Being raised in New York, Jennifer Aniston was never allowed to watch the television except for on occasion when she was home sick from school. After seeing the film, “Annie”, she fell in love with acting and began to pursue interest in the business. Despite the fact that her father did not want her in the film industry, she pursued her dream after she caught the acting bug at a young age. Her father, well known actor, John Aniston, had her attend a regular high school along with getting regular jobs to pay her bills. But soon enough, after working her way to LA, she was on the rise.

Aniston stated that as much as she enjoys doing dependent films, she is very much loyal to independent films as well, as she shows by switching back and forth. “Where would we be without independent films?” Aniston questioned.

“Cake” is the film that Jennifer Aniston has recently been featured in and has received much praise for her role as a woman who has dealt with much pain and loss in her life. Aniston explained how working on the film, everyone was out of their comfort zone. It was a light script with strength that was fighting for the underdogs. She also said that it was a great acting class to be on the set surrounded by so many different actors and actresses. “It takes the cake,” she joked.

And of course “Friends” was going to be brought up into the night. First, while people were still shuffling into the theater, the theme song to the much loved television show was playing in the background for all to hear. And as the moderator for the evening asked about the show, immediate applause broke out. Anniston explained to the audience how originally, she had her eyes set on playing Monica while Courtney Cox had a desire to play Rachel, which got my friends and I to start thinking about how different the show would have possibly been if that had been the casting case.

This was one of my most favorite tributes because, as a fan of Jennifer, it was really enjoyable to see her reliving some of her past moments and achievements and seem very grateful for what she has been given in this life. Since every “Friends” episode had just been released on Netflix, a lot of my friends and I have been consuming our time re-watching old episodes, so it was very fun to see her humor come to life instead of just through a television screen.

Towards the end of the night, when explaining how life can be sometimes, Jennifer said, “I think that life is one big dramady [drama and comedy]…who doesn’t want to laugh and escape in comedies?”