Along Came Polly *** (2004, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Debra Messing, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Hank Azaria, Bryan Brown) – Classic Movie Review 1320

Writer-director John Hamburg’s amiable enough 2004 romantic comedy has a super-good cast to get over its bumps and make it work.

Risk assessor Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) dumps his new wife Lisa (Debra Messing) after he discovers her messing and canoodling with scummy scuba tutor Claude (Hank Azaria) on their honeymoon. Later, enjoying a night out with his best buddy Sandy Lyle (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Reuben then meets neurotic free spirit Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), his old school classmate. But can they take a chance on love? He tries constantly to get her to like him but he spends his days calculating the risks.

This hit comedy has a super funny ensemble of capable, favourite players. But the hilarious jokes are a bit on the sparse side and the probably inevitable bad-taste gags are embarrassing. Alec Baldwin and Bryan Brown are struggling desperately to be funny and give overblown turns. Messing, so appealing and hilarious on TV’s Will & Grace, is demonised as the bad guy and unforgivably squandered. And Philip Seymour Hoffman, good actor though he was, simply isn’t this kind of slapstick comedian to make his role work.

Still, it’s mostly quite fun. Stiller keeps it motoring on laughs, Aniston is her usual charming and appealing self and Azaria is a funny asset too.

Tragically, Philip Seymour Hoffman died on February 2 2014, aged 46, from an apparent drug overdose in his New York City apartment. Awarded a Best Actor Oscar for the 2005 film Capote, he checked into rehab in May 2013 for heroin use.

Writer and director John Hamburg is also known for Safe Men (1998) I Love You, Man (2009) and Meet the Parents (2000).

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(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1320

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