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Along Came Polly (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Along Came Seymour, 6 June 2006

Author: dunmore_ego from Los Angeles, California

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Ben Stiller as yet another dweeby nebbish, Jennifer Aniston as yet another glowing, man-toy, carnal love muscle - how does a studio squeeze any further substance from these same drop-dead-boring characters? Stiller is Reuben Feffer, depressed after leaving his slut wife, finding rebound romance in the arms of Polly (Aniston). Adversity ensues blah blah and they live happily etc.

But along came Philip Seymour Hoffman, injecting a scathing hilarity to this rotted roadkill of a film. Playing the Hero's Best Friend, Sandy, Hoffman uses his disheveled, pariah character like a wrecking ball on this milky-vanilla story, outshining the stars (Aniston and Stiller), the veterans (Alec Baldwin as an insurance company head, Bryan Brown as a dicey insurance prospect) and the relative newcomer (the insipid, underweight and overpaid spinner, Debra Messing, of *Will and Grace* "fame").

Hank Azaria must also warrant mention, as a buff scuba instructor with a silver-tongued "Movie French" accent (responsible for breaking up Reuben's marriage) – but this is unequivocally Hoffman's movie.

Ironically, Hoffman's Sandy is a struggling actor, living on laurels twenty years old, when everyone knew him as "The Kid from *Crocodile Tears*," taking on the roles of both Jesus *and* Judas in a community theater production of *Jesus Christ Superstar*, and playing basketball with an ineptness that would send most wiggas to the bench for life – if it weren't for his delusional "white chocolate" fury. His dialog is gold, not least because of its delivery: "Raindance!" "I sharted!" "His art sucks, but he used to sell me really good pot"; and he even Saves The Day in a subplot which sees him take on his most challenging role - that of stand-in insurance salesman for Reuben while Reuben conforms to Romantic Comedy protocol by Running Through The Streets To Stop His Girl Leaving Town.

Hoffman gets 8 stars. The movie gets only one – Philip Seymour Hoffman.

(Movie Maniacs, visit: poffysmoviemania.com)

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