Along Came Polly
Release Date: January 16, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, language, crude humor and some drug references
Written and Directed by: John Hamburg
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Debra Messing, Hank Azaria, Alec Baldwin, Bryan Brown, Jsu Garcia, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mitch Silpa
Plot:
Ben Stiller plays risk-averse Reuben Feffer, whose best-laid plans for life and love careen wildly off track when his bride dumps him on their honeymoon for a muscle-bound scuba instructor. Stunned, humiliated and in the grip of acute indigestion, Reuben plans to play it safer than ever. But a chance encounter with an adventure-craving, childhood friend named Polly (Jennifer Aniston) shoots him into a whirlwind of extreme sports, spicy foods, ferrets, salsa dancing and living in the moment.
Review:
Coming straight into the new year there are always going to be a handful of romantic comedies. Some seem to
always go down the gutter, some prevail and are surprising and some are just simply the worst of any genre
you've seen in your lifetime.
If you would want to label Along Came Polly, then a romantic comedy would fit it precisely. It's just that and
basically these type of films are never necessarily original. They continue to rehash the same story, but with
different actors and a few different scenes when they feel it is appropriate to add.
Now, did I enjoy Along Came Polly, no I cannot say that I truly did, because I didn't. Are there any qualities in
Along Came Polly that is good. Yes, of course. To answer that question, Mr. Anonymous, there are a few scenes in Along Came
Polly that are memorable. There is actually one scene in Along Came Polly that I won't spoil, but it had me
laughing for a good minute or so.
However, the joke is so terrible, but the way its aimed at is what made it funny, the unexpectedness of it also had
to do with the laughter. Also, laughing is not all you expect from these type of movies, you also expect some
chemistry between the characters. Something was lacking between Stiller and Aniston and I can't put my finger
on it at the moment, but it just seemed like they both weren't extremely into their roles.
When people purchase a ticket for this movie, they expect a hilarious film, you are not going to get any here. Its
also weird because Stiller is the main actor in this movie, but the comedy comes from the other actors. He had a
bit to do with the comedy, but if I would label the funniest person in the movie, then it would either be Alec Baldwin
or Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
The screenplay for Along Came Polly had Ben Stiller do many odd, but interesting things. When I say interesting,
I am referring to the idea of it. However, the way they delivered the idea seemed to not have been the best way to
do so. Many things that were interesting was that Stiller and Aniston were somewhat of the complete opposites.
Stiller is an organized man who is very proper and Aniston is a very wild woman that enjoys taking risks.
It may seem like all I have to say about this movie is bad, but not really actually. Yes, there is more bad than
good in this movie, but some comedy might strike you more than it did myself. With saying that, Along Came
Polly is not necessarily a bad movie, it is just extremely disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it. Its sad to
see the potential be flushed down the toilet.
As a final few words, I have to say that, plenty of funny moments is something Along Came Polly didn't have. With
that said, Along Came Polly did feature some funny moments though. However, the gaps in between the scenes
that there was no laughter, there was pointless situations and things going on that no one cared about nor did it
progress the film in any way. At the end, you have this empty feeling about Along Came Polly, but you know its
not a bad movie, it had its few moments.
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