Along Came Polly

I saw this for free, thankfully, and wish it was better than it was, but it's really the same old stuff that movie studios seem to foist on us in the last ten years.

Ben Stiller and Jennifer Anniston play a couple who are opposites- and yet they are attracted to each other. Yes, it's an age old trope, and if that plot 'twist' doesn't take you by surprise and thrill you, the movie won't either.

Lots of sight gags and fart jokes. Halfway through the movie I began to realize that Ben Stiller really isn't that funny, but he tries VERY hard. And Jennifer Anniston really isn't that pretty, but her HAIR looks great. And Hank Azaria and Phillip Seymore Hoffman must have got paid a great deal of money to be in this kind of average ho-hum movie, I've come to expect more from them.

What was interesting was that I saw this after I saw American Splendor, which is a truly funny and original movie- and I compared the two in my head, and found myself wishing that the movie executives would be forced to sit through those two movies back to back- perhaps that would knock some sense into them and they'd start making better movies with unknowns rather than this formulaic stuff that plays best on airplanes.

Ben and Jen do their best to overcome an unengaging story and a lack of forward momentum in Along Came Polly. There are some decent laughs throughout, but nothing that stuck with me after the credits. It's not awful by any means, but it's pretty forgettable.

Along Came Polly is not a masterpiece in the rom-com genre, but I did enjoy it, and although the humour is sometimes gross, it does make you laugh. However I would not consider this to be one of those movies to watch again and again. A one time watch, or just once every so often is good enough.

Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) analyses risk for a living and is an extremely cautious man, with an extremely cautious life. When he marries Lisa (Debra Messing), everyone considers them the perfect couple, as they are well suited to one another. But when Lisa cheats on him on their honeymoon with their Frenchie-French scuba diving instructor Claude (Hank Azaria...BUFFED UP!), Reuben's heart breaks. He returns to New York and bumps into Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), and they begin dating, despite being very different. Polly lives in the moment, Reuben thinks ahead. Polly loves ethnic food, Reuben hates it. Polly isn't too big with long-term relationships, whereas Reuben swears by it. Nevertheless their relationships seems to work. But when Lisa comes crawling back to Reuben, he is forced to make a decision. Who will it be, the free-spirited Polly, or Lisa, with whom Reuben shares a lot in common?

I thought this movie was very cute and I liked the ferret :). Ben Stiller's performance was not outstanding in this movie but he did play Reuben well, and to be honest I cannot imagine another actor as Reuben at all. He has a very identifiable voice and the knack of just being plain adorable. I would not say he owned the movie, like he usually does, but he certainly was very good. Jennifer Aniston was also just over average. I loved her in Friends, Bruce Almighty, but sadly I don't think she did as well as she could have. But her role was smaller than I would have thought. I really liked her character Polly Prince though, and I think this was because Polly was so much like myself. The last-minute planning, being untidy, liking ethnic food, the hunting for keys...all of this screamed 'ME' all the way through, and I thought Polly was a very realistic and likable character. Hank Azaria was so cute as Claude! Okay, so he was meant to be the villain, but come on, he's BUFF. He has a six pack and the French accent was just amazing. He is really talented if he can do about 5 different voices in 'The Simpsons' and then the Frenchiest French accent ever, here. Debra Messing made a small role as Lisa but she wasn't anything great, Philip Seymour Hoffman was hilarious as Sandy Lyle. I thought the character was gross, but very likable.

Not the best from Stiller or Aniston, but still delivers laughs.

Once again, Ben Stiller gives us yet another comedy, about love, life and being an adult nerd. Yet, this sadly doesn't hold a candle to 'Something About Mary', which may have been his best movie of his career.

We begin the film, seeing Reuben (Stiller) marrying Lisa (Messing). After their reception they head to St. Bartes, for their honeymoon. While on the beach they meet a French scuba instructor who has offered to take them out on his boat. Rebuen declines because he has a nervous stomach, but he insists that his beautiful new bride go, to make her happy. When he returns later that day to the boat, he finds his wife cheating on him. Upset, and hurt, he flies home, depressed that he has not only lost his wife, but now has decisions to deal with because of hers.

Enter Polly. Several days after he returns to New York, his friend takes him to a party where he runs into a waitress (Aniston), whom he went to school with when he was in junior high. He calls her the next day and asks her out. Throughout the rest of the film, he learns how to deal with his phobias, irritations and just how to cut loose.

Each time I see this film, it somehow has the opposite effect on me as most, where as normally I grow to love the film more and more, each time I see it, this one actually, seems to get worse and worse with each viewing. It is funny, and it's not a bad film at all, it's clever and cute, it's just that it does tend to lose flavor each time you see it.

Aniston and Stiller were equally good in this, and I still recommend it. It's a light comedy, and not at all like, 'The Cable Guy' or 'There's Something About Mary'. So, if you're looking for films that were as dark or adult as those, you won't find it here. But, it still is cute and clever in its own way, so it might still be worth a watch. Plus, Alec Baldwin plays a small part, which is not to be missed.

Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston lead a talented cast and for the most part deliver the laughs. Reuben Feffer {Ben Stiller} is looking for a new relationship after walking in on his wife {Debra Messing} with a scuba diving instructor {Hank Azaria}. While at a party he sees Polly {Jennifer Aniston} this girl he used to go to school with, they start dating and Reuben is trying to act more loose for Polly since Polly is very loose. The plot is very similar to There's Something About Mary and it even steals from an episode of Friends. The film is not very original so that's one strike against it lucky for the film it has a funny cast. What really makes this movie work is Philip Seymour Hoffman, he is hilarious as Sandy and he is the best part about this movie. The rest of the supporting cast is funny including Hank Azaria as the scuba instructor and Alex Baldwin as Reuben's boss. Ben Stiller is funny but its getting tiring to see him in the same role. Jennifer Aniston pretty much plays her Rachel character and she's enjoyable. The problem though is that Ben and Jen don't make a realistic couple. We have also seen it all before so there's no reason to rush out and see this film. Rating 7/10, a funny movie that's worth a look