Courteney Cox’s Wild New Crime Thriller Debuts To Disappointing Rotten Tomatoes Score

Published Sep 20, 2026, 12:50 PM EDT Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay. Courteney Cox's new crime thriller has debuted with a lukewarm Rotten Tomatoes score. For many, Cox remains best known for her starring role as Monica on Friends, but she's also no stranger to the horror thriller genre, appearing as Gale Weather in the Scream franchise. On top of being an actor, however, Cox has also directed a handful of projects, including Just Before I Go (2014) and episodes of Cougar Town. Cox's latest directorial project, Evil Genius, now has a Rotten Tomatoes score, and it's sitting at 60%, as of writing. This score was generated from only 10 reviews, however, meaning it could fluctuate in the coming weeks as more reviews are added. Evil Genius premiered at TIFF on September 12, with Cox producing in addition to directing. The film features an impressive cast, including Patricia Arquette, David Harbour, David Arquette, and Garret Dillahunt, among others. Written by Trey Borzillieri, Courtenay Miles, and Barbara Schroeder, Evil Genius marks Cox's first feature film directing gig in 12 years. The movie chronicles the infamous true story of the "pizza bomber," and is said to feature deception, desperation, and the blurred line between victim and villain. Taking place in 2003, the case of the pizza bomber involved pizza delivery driver Brian Douglas Wells. Wells robbed a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, and was apprehended by police, but he died when an explosive collar around his neck detonated. An investigation later led to two figures being arrested and convicted, and it was determined that Wells, too, was in on the plot, though he may have believed the explosive collar to be fake. Though the story remains an infamous one, reviews for Cox's take on the event are mixed. Josh Bate's Evil Genius review for ScreenRant is right in line with the Rotten Tomatoes score at six out of 10. Bate praises Patricia Arquette's lead performance but questions the decision to turn the event into a movie at all given how Netflix already adapted the story in 2018 with its docuseries Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist. Bate writes that "the film may feel all too familiar for some viewers, and it may work best for those completely unfamiliar with the original story." Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist was more warmly received by critics and sports a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes from 30 reviews. Christopher Llewellyn Reed is more negative in his review for Film Festival Today, taking issue with a number of script choices and calling out the film's visuals, dubbing it "one ugly picture." For RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico's review is a little more lukewarm, and he calls Evil Genius "a film that often feels like it’s punching down on a group of oddballs that it never takes the time to really consider as human beings." The Hollywood Reporter's review from Michael Rechtshaffen is far more positive, with the critic praising the film's lead performances from Patricia Arquette and Harbour, as well as the humor. For Rechtshaffen, Cox "demonstrates a briskly assured feel for the quirky material." It remains to be seen how audiences will respond to Evil Genius, but the film doesn't yet have domestic distribution, so it could be some time before it makes its way to general viewers.