Along Came Polly

Ben Stiller is known for wacky characters such as White Goodman from Dodgeball, Tony Perkis in Heavy Weights, and the male model known as Derek Zoolander in Zoolander. But his other roles have been the quiet yet hysterical characters like Gaylord 'Greg' Focker in Meet the Parents and Meet the Focker's. This type of character is perfect for Stiller.

In Along Came Polly, Stiller stars as Reuben Feffer, the neurotic, slightly OCD risk-insurance salesman who looks at the outcome of a situation before getting involved. He decides whether or not a person is too much of a liability. Recently married to Lisa Kramer (Debra Messing), who on their honeymoon, decides to "get it on" with the scuba instructor (Hank Azaria). Fleeing back to the states, he meets up with his long time friend Sandy Lyle (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). He was a star actor but now is a has been who tries to go back to the top. For starters, he will be headlining the community theater production of Jesus Christ Superstar...as Judas.

Now that Reuben is back, he is "free", but isn't ready for a relationship. Since he is still actually married, he decides to just lay low, until he meets an old friend from junior high. Enter Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), the free spirited, total opposite of Reuben who will flip his world upside down. Even though they seem to be on the opposite sides of the love spectrum, Reuben is crazy for her...hesitant...but still into it.

What makes this movie work is the combination of wacky humor and romance. Hoffman is hysterical as Lyle who thinks he is the cats meow. With his life being filmed for a feature on his life, Lyle is confident and even tries to be Reuben's mentor. Although they don't see eye to eye with certain issues, the two have a sort of brotherly bond that lasts thru thick and thin. Aniston is great as Polly and with the addition of Stiller, the two become a great duo, feeding off of each other's energy.

This movie is a great date flick and is even a good film to just pop in once and a while. Ben Stiller is on a roll with making movies these days and this is no exception. Along Came Polly is fantastic and worth watching. Another triumph for Stiller...and as Sandy Lyle once said, "Let it rain!"

The story's not overly engaging, but for some reason Along Came Polly is fun. Ben Stiller just has that knack of being able to embarass himself and we love him for it. You can't help but laugh. But the film is worth a look for Philip Seymour Hoffman, too, as the child actor still looking for recognition -- and work. The basketball court scene is great, but the best is his performance with a community theatre's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. If you've ever been in community theatre, or you've hung out with actors, you'll appreciate this.

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

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.

I thought this was about a silly romance, so I didn't see it when it first came out. I rented the DVD and I liked it so much I watched it again with my daughter two nights later. I should have known Ben Stiller wouldn't do a totally "straight" movie, but the comedy wasn't so over the top either. It was a perfect blend of comedy and sincerity. One of the stand-out performances came from Hank Azaria. His portrayal of the French scuba instructor, Claude, was a scene-stealer. One of the funniest characters I've seen in a long time. I recommend this as a perfect date movie, or if you're just sitting at home and want to LOL! Be sure to check out the gag reel.