You gotta love her, right? Well, yes, but let me say that there is a definite downside to the picture that is Jennifer Aniston. Should you wish to see her in action, you would have to subject yourself to the shit-com Friends, in which she appears weekly as the spoiled but charming ingénue Rachel Karen Green.

I've not done this often -- once or twice to be precise -- but I have a feeling that one episode is not much better than the other. Put simply, the people responsible for this show should be tied up and thrown in the East River. The humor is banal and predictable at best; the plots are insipid and dumb. It will fry your brain worse than the hardest drugs available on the streets today.

For what it's worth, I suggest that if you want to get a flavor for the phenomenon that is Jennifer Aniston, head to the nearest theater. While Picture Perfect may be somewhat predictable and innocuous in it's own right, it's miles above what you'll see on TV.

While watching the film, it becomes clear that Aniston's qualities go far deeper than what lies on the surface. Her comic flair and acting abilities are top-notch. In one scene, her character Kate Mosley confesses to her mother (Olympia Dukakis) that she had an affair with the office playboy (Kevin Bacon) “Mommy, we had sex -- the really dirty kind,” Aniston confesses, slumped across a double bed, the lines delivered with such adroit comic timing, they send the crowd into an uproar.

In another scene, we witness her character wearing a green lace dress that clings to her body like heated saran wrap. I kid you not, the scene caused beads of sweat to form on my brow although the theater was chilled to meat locker levels.

Aniston and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Aniston, 28, is the daughter of model-actress Nancy and actor John, the latter of Days of Our Lives fame. (Her parents separated when she was nine.) Although she was born in Sherman Oaks, California, Jennifer and family soon relocated to New York City where Aniston attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts.

She moved to Hollywood in 1990, dropped 30-odd pounds of baby fat, and appeared in such forgettable TV shows as Molly and The Edge, in addition to the horror movie Leprechaun. Finally, in 1994, Aniston landed the part of Rachel. Four seasons later, she is a star of mammoth proportions.

Aniston is currently single but dating fellow actor Tate Donovan. Former boyfriends include actor Charlie Schlatter and Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows. Future plans include being married with children and continuing her distinctly healthy career. Whether this means movies or more years on the idiot box appears still to be undecided. “Working on a sitcom is, of course, more familiar; the schedule is a lot easier,” says Aniston. “Films are much more of a challenge.”

I guess it's tough to walk out of an opportunity like the one presented by Friends. The show is, after all, currently rated the number two sitcom in the nation, right behind Seinfeld. It's got all the lures including fame, familiarity and steady, well-paying work. One can't really slight Aniston for being hesitant to jump ship. There's always that chance of taking the giant leap from TV stardom and landing smack in the middle of obscurity. Just ask David Caruso. I'm sure he can tell you all about it.