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Along Came Polly Details

2004 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 39,982 members

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 .. Read more

Starring Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing
Director John Hamburg, John Hamburg
Genres Comedy, Romance

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Along Came Polly

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 generalised 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.

Starring Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing, Alec Baldwin, Hank Azaria, Bryan Brown
Director John Hamburg, John Hamburg
Studio UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK VIDEO RENTAL
Run time DVD: 1 hr 26 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Collections 100 Rom-Coms
Genres Comedy, Romance
Language DVD: English
Hearing-impaired English
Released DVD: 02 Jul 2004
Production year: 2004
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews (5) of Along Came Polly

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  • 2 stars out of 5

    The problem with this film from Meet the Parents co-writer John Hamburg is that it doesn't know what kind of comedy it wants to be. Predominantly, it's an agreeable romantic comedy, derivative yet cute, with Ben Stiller playing an overly cautious risk assessor who falls for wild former school pal Jennifer Aniston after his new wife cheats on him during their honeymoon. Stiller and Aniston's performances are reassuringly familiar, demonstrating a comfortable chemistry that's enjoyable to watch. However, getting gentle amusement from the foibles of modern romance is evidently insufficient for Hamburg, who insists upon throwing in incongruous gross-out humour that would make even the Farrelly Brothers wince. Such attempts to widen the movie's appeal give it an entirely uneven tone, and turn the usually brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman into a nausea-inducing horror as Stiller's vulgar best friend. Ultimately, it's the characters' pratfalls and behavioural idiosyncrasies that provide the loudest laughs, but more genuine bite, particularly dialogue-wise, could have worked wonders.

    • Radio Times
  • For a man who doesn't like to take chances, Reuben Feffer (Stiller) isn't slow at coming forward. A fortnight after a... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • Most helpful member's review of Along Came Polly

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  • 29 out of 29 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star

    Formulaic

    Unimaginative dross. Tries to cash in on the success of similar (and better) romantic comedies of the past but fails dramatically. Typical Ben Stiller formula: falls in love, always unlucky, events always conspiring against him, gets girl, the end. 1 star awarded because Anniston is actually okay in this and manages, to a certain degree, to throw off her 'Rachel from Friends' shackles.

      • LeoM from London
  • Most recent members' review of Along Came Polly

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 1 star

    …and away went the Laughs

    Unfortunately this is a classic 'all the best (and funniest) bits are in the trailer' movie. Light-hearted and inoffensive, but just not what you'd expect from the excellent Ben Stiller.

    It's a basic opposite attracts tale with the anal and uptight Ben Stiller falling for carefree and crazy Jennifer Aniston, forcing him to rethink his approach to life.

    Able comic support is provided by a scene stealing Philip Seymour-Hoffman in a Jack Black style 'roly-poly-edge-of-madness-best-friend' capacity, but this aside the laughs are not as frequent as they should be in a comedy (even a romantic one).

    Nice enough to while away 90 minutes on a rainy afternoon, but then you could also watch 3 episodes of Friends back-to-back if it's the quirks and neuroses of 30-something New Yorkers you crave for… and the Friends' ensemble cast do it so much better.

      • Wampa17 from Berkshire
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Rating breakdown

39,982 Member ratings
  • 100
1,651
  • 90
2,168
  • 80
4,714
  • 70
6,517
  • 60
9,519
  • 50
5,973
  • 40
4,405
  • 30
2,629
  • 20
1,628
  • 10
778

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    • 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, ...