Practically everyone here is a collection of tics, gimmicks and mannerisms.
Along Came Polly (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:39
Rotten:112
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: Though the supporting actors are funny, Stiller and Aniston don't make a believable couple, and the gross-out humor is gratuitous.
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Writer-director John Hamburg (writer of ZOOLANDER and MEET THE PARENTS), teams once again with Ben Stiller to make an offbeat character study that is guaranteed to induce helpless laughter. Reuben,... Writer-director John Hamburg (writer of ZOOLANDER and MEET THE PARENTS), teams once again with Ben Stiller to make an offbeat character study that is guaranteed to induce helpless laughter. Reuben, an overanxious insurance risk analyst (Stiller), weighs his every action by assessing pros and cons. He finds himself dumped on his honeymoon by fickle wife Lisa (Debra Messing) who runs off with Jacques, a nudist scuba instructor (Hank Azaria). A few days later, Reuben is back in New York at a pretentious gallery opening, wondering why he's bothering to test the waters so soon, when along comes Polly Price (Jennifer Aniston), a quirky, worldly, adventurous soul, whose only flaw appears to be a generalized lack of commitment. The formerly germ-obsessed, controlling Reuben is transformed by Polly's free spirit, her predilection for spicy food, and her pet ferret. Her love of salsa dancing makes him jealous and painfully uncomfortable. But his heart is aflame. Hamburg, who began his directorial career with SAFE MEN, has proven himself a reliable producer of charming realism and a brand of comedy comparable to that of the Farrelly brothers. Editor William Kerr has an extraordinary sense of comic timing, which gives ALONG CAME POLLY's funny factor a boost. Stiller's salsa solo is striking--the actor is actually an amazing dancer. Last but not least, Philip Seymour Hoffman (PUNCH DRUNK LOVE, FLAWLESS) nearly steals the show as Reuben's best friend Sandy Lyle who plays both Jesus and Judas in a community production of GODSPELL. [More]
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Ben Stiller, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Ben Stiller, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing, Hank Azaria, Bryan Brown, Alec Baldwin
Director: John Hamburg
Director: John Hamburg
Producer: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Along Came Polly
Remove the razzle-dazzle provided by Azaria, Hoffman, Baldwin, the gross jokes and that ferret, and you wind up with a pretty dull and ordinary face.
This flat romantic comedy fails to provide any reason why a spunky girl-next-door like Jennifer Aniston's character would give Ben Stiller's uptight nerd the time of day.
Recycles gags from various, more successful gross-out and romantic comedies, but without any zest or imagination.
Tame and predictable, with the gastric-distress sound-effects machine working overtime.
It's only Stiller's skillful execution that keeps the pratfalls from being monotonous.
Something we've all seen before, far too many times, not only in its premise but also in its lame parade of scatological jokes and its sad, tired pratfalls.
Takes the oldest romantic comedy notion that there is -- opposites attract -- and does absolutely nothing new or even clever with it.
Unpromising premise proves an ideal showcase for the comic talents of Ben Stiller and, to a lesser extent, supporting player Philip Seymour Hoffman.
This is mediocre TV fare, somehow extended from the permitted 30-minute slot to feature film length.
Delivers the laughs, but it feels more like an extended TV sitcom than a feature film.
Though Polly packs ample comic punch, it also demonstrates that life isn't about the safe past or the uncertain future but the journeys we make each day.
The whole thing starts out amiably enough, but then loses all momentum just as it's supposed to be lifting off.
Hamburg stoops to cheap toilet humor and dumb slapstick rather than exploring his characters.
It's a workmanlike romantic comedy that by the end has quietly added up to a little more than you expected.
Scene by scene, the movie offers a pretty bumpy ride, and there's not enough chemistry between Stiller and Aniston to make the romantic parts of the movie credible.
The super-calculated nature of Reuben and Polly's 'opposites attract' relationship and Reuben's resulting character arc rarely leaves room for doubt as to where the artificial-feeling plot is going.
Latest News for Along Came Polly
October 13, 2006:
The Weekly Ketchup: "Batman Begins" Villain Talk, "Transformers" Set News, "Evan Almighty" Budget Woes, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, we have more guessing games regarding who will be Batman's other foe in "The Dark Knight," music and pics from the "Transformers"... More...
June 01, 2006:
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June 08, 2005:
Stiller & Coogan to Become DreamWorks' "Persuaders"
Ben Stiller ("Along Came Polly") and Steve Coogan ("Coffee and Cigarettes") will co-star in DreamWorks "The Persuaders," says Variety. Based on the... More...
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