TIFF 2026: Courteney Cox thriller tells 'dysfunctional love story' behind pizza bomber case
TORONTO: Courteney Cox’s true crime thriller “Evil Genius” recounting the infamous U.S. pizza bomber case premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday. The film, starring Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette and “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour, is the “Friends” star’s first feature film as a director in 12 years, following the 2014 black comedy “Just Before I Go.” It…
Courteney Cox's new true crime thriller "Evil Genius" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, telling the story of the infamous U.S. pizza bomber case. The film, starring Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette and "Stranger Things" actor David Harbour, is Cox's first feature film as a director in 12 years. Based on the 2018 Netflix documentary series "Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist," the movie centers on the convoluted plot where pizza delivery man Brian Wells robbed a PNC Bank in 2003 using a homemade bomb.
The device detonated upon his arrest, resulting in his death. Arquette portrays Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, a woman with bipolar disorder who was convicted of the robbery. Prosecutors stated that she masterminded the robbery to raise money to hire a hit man to kill her estranged father over an inheritance dispute. Harbour plays Bill Rothstein, her former fiancé and accomplice.
Cox mentioned the unusual relationship between Diehl-Armstrong and Rothstein as the catalyst for the heist, describing it as a "dysfunctional love story" that she aimed to capture in the film. Arquette emphasized the importance of understanding the motivations behind Diehl-Armstrong's actions, stating that people who are often considered "bad guys" don't always perceive themselves as such and have their reasons for their actions.
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