 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
Along Came Polly (M)
Directed by John Hamburg.
 Whoa! Nice pecs Hank! No wonder Lisa (Debra Messing) dumped Reuben (Ben Stiller) for scuba instructor Claude (Hank Azaria).
Do opposites attract? Apparently so, according to Along Came Polly, the latest romantic comedy to hit our cinemas.
The slightly typecast, but still very funny Ben Stiller stars as insurance company risk assessment specialist Reuben Feffer. It's the perfect job for our anal-retentive, germaphobic neurotic hero, who finds life just one big scary risk.
Unfortunately, what little confidence he has is shattered when, on the first day of their honeymoon, he catches his new wife Lisa (Debra Messing) doing the wild thing with local scuba instructor Claude (a buffed and totally hilarious Hank Azaria).
Heartbroken, Reuben returns alone to New York where he is comforted by his best mate, former teen actor Sandy Lyle, (a disgustingly memorable performance from the talented Philip Seymour Hoffman).
A couple of weeks later at a party Reuben bumps into an old class mate, Polly Prince (Jennifer Anniston) and daringly decides to take a risk and ask her out. But it's soon obvious the two are polar opposites with absolutely nothing in common. Is there any way this relationship can work? (Seeing this is Hollywood where everyone, especially test audiences, loves a happy ending, what do you think?).
There are chuckles aplenty in Along Came Polly, but if you're expecting a comedy classic like There's Something about Mary, or even another Meet the Parents, then you're going to be disappointed. It's a pleasant enough film and a safe "date movie" however there's nothing particularly memorable about it, despite the efforts of its top notch cast.
And unlike the Farrelly brothers, who achieved the perfect amalgamation of gross-out humour and romance in the aforementioned Something About Mary, the same cannot be said for this film.
But I did like the ferret!
Rating: 
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