Along Came Polly Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
For the most cautious man on Earth, life is about to get interesting.
Can a risk-averse insurance salesman on the rebound from his bride's infidelity (during their honeymoon) find happiness with a waitress he knew in junior high who's averse to commitment? Reuben is a sweet klutz who's ready to settle down but sees in her a chance to recover from disappointment and have some fun; Polly is a sweet itinerant, not ready to settle down but sees a chance to spend time with a nice guy who likes her. What will he do when his bride comes crawling back? What will Polly do, when he runs the numbers and thinks she's a good risk? Sub-plots involve his self-centered pal, who's a has-been actor, and an assignment to assess the insurability of a balls-out Aussie.
| Michele Lee | Vivian Feffer |
| Bob Dishy | Irving Feffer |
| Missi Pyle | Roxanne |
| Alec Baldwin | Stan Indursky |
| Ben Stiller | Reuben Feffer |
| Jennifer Aniston | Polly Prince |
| Philip Seymour Hoffman | Sandy Lyle |
| Debra Messing | Lisa Kramer |
| Hank Azaria | Claude |
| Bryan Brown | Leland Van Lew |
| Jsu Garcia | Javier |
| Judah Friedlander | Dustin |
| Kevin Hart | Vic |
| Masi Oka | Wonsuk |
| Kym Whitley | Gladys |
| John Hamburg |
5.80 out of 10 (18788 votes)
Visitor Reviews
ben stiller does it again
posted on 18 Aug 2009i don't know how anyone couldn't find this funny.the scenes with ben stiller on the toilet are particularly funny and only someone with i.b.s. can really see the funny side of it.jennifer aniston's character was similar to her rachel character but slightly kookier and spontaneous.the star of the piece has to be hoffman.he was completely hilarious as the self centered best friend.the scenes with him in jesus christ superstar are comical.he is so far up his own a**e it's pretty funny. all in all it was a fairly good film.it was totally better than going to college-it didn't cause any way near as much boredom.stiller is a comic genius and any fan should go and see starsky and hutch aswell.it's pure class.
Good and funny romantic comedy of a past relationship that develops into an unlikely love match!
posted on 12 Aug 2009Over the years of all the comedies I've saw this one "Along Came Polly" has to be one of the better ones, and it's probably one of the better films of 2004. It's filled with plenty of laughs, humor, and the search and trying of finding a new love from an old friend is nice and neat. Funny guy Ben Stiller plays Reuben Feffer a hard working insurance adjuster who's just recently married his elegant and attractive sweetheart Lisa(Debra Messing)and upon their honeymoon Reuben finds out that he's been cheated on right away! So now that all seems lost it's back to his job with gruff and tough boss Stan(Alec Baldwin)then one day when his washed up actor turned Broadway star friend Snady(Philip Seymour Hoffman) introduces him to an old friend at a party a renewed spirit is introduced! Upon meeting Polly Prince(Jennifer Aniston) who's an old high school friend who's back in town after moving around from many jobs she's now trying her go at being a party and cocktail waitress. And the old saying is true opposites attract as both attitudes are different with Reuben being nervous and neurotic and very cautious of the world while Polly is a liberal and a very free spirited person. Yet as both get to know each other it proves opposites attract and love and happiness is possible! Overall this is a nice and cute little comedy made watchable by Ben and Jen.
Same old, same old!!!
posted on 04 Aug 2009My first impression just from viewing the trailer is that this looks like a tired remake of previously Hollywood movies. What does Hollywod think, use the same plot, make a few changes to the storyline add a "funny" ferret...the audience will never know!!Then to top it off you have Jennifer doing her Rachel character and poor Ben trying to be make those old jokes funny yet again.When is Hollywood going to get original and quit pumping out movie after movie!
Fun but Uneven
posted on 31 Jul 2009There are a lot of gags in this one that will take you by surprise. In many ways the ferret's the star. It's also gross in a kind of way that shows humour's been borrowed from the UK and Monte Python without understand why it was funny in the first place.My first observation is it's hard to see Messing as Woman Number Two as she's just hotter than Aniston all the way. My second observation is that the casting is still correct and Aniston turns in a meatier performance than she had to do in ten years on that sitcom. On that sitcom she was something to laugh at; here she has character and becomes someone you can be interested in.I can't make up my mind about PSH: is he just reprehensible privately or is he such a good actor he can make you think it's real? I tend to think the latter. He's just that good.Bryan Brown's good if underused - and 'abused' in a few scenes; Baldwin's OK; Hank Azaria's a riot.After you see this one, look your spouse in the eyeball and ask: 'maybe it was a bit uneven, but it was good fun, no?' And you're bound to get a nod of agreement. The story line is fine - it's just that you can't weave a bunch of unrelated gags together and introduce characters that don't contribute to the plot. All you get is a bunch of unrelated gags and a too thin thread of story line.
Good chemistry between Stiller and Aniston
posted on 17 Jul 2009In a normal mood I would say I hated the movie because of Ben Stiller. I hate that man, as an actor, as an comedian and as too all characters he portrays. Whatever, Jennifer Aniston is a wonderful actress (note that I liked The Break-Up and I don't like Vince Vaughn too much). So the fact I liked this romantic comedy is more because of the script and the chemistry between the duo. The direction is alright too, and the stunt made with the parachute was a good maneuver from the producers-- not needed, but well done.A man was in honeymoon with his new wife until she falls in love with some french diver. They split up immediately and he decided to move on with his life. That's when he met Lisa (Jennifer Aniston). Things go complicated for him when his ex-wife shows up to tell him that she loved him all the time and wants to get back to him. Then he got a hell of a dilemma. And that's pretty much what you got to see in the rest of the movie. Quite enjoyable actually.
`Along Came Polly' never needed to be made, or seen for that matter.
posted on 07 Jul 2009It is hard to believe that a comedy this simplistic and obvious could turn out to be a box-office success. Quality can never be judged from success. `Along Came Polly' is every bit as disappointing a film as its trailer promised to be-every joke, every plot point, every rehashed piece of dialogue made for a tiresome comedy that at best gets us to chuckle, but never really laugh at anything all that funny.
`Along Came Polly' stars Ben Stiller as Reuben Feffer, a risk-management analyst for a major insurance company. Reuben lives his life as safely as possible, avoiding any kind of upset that life could throw his way. For example, he avoids eating nuts at a bar because he figures that most people who eat them do not wash their hands after using the bathroom. But Reuben is getting married to Lisa (Debra Messing) and she promises to be the highlight of his life. It all seems great until during their honeymoon, Lisa decides to sleep with a scuba instructor named Claude (Hank Azaria). Reuben, confused and alone, heads back for his job in New York without his new bride. But while at a party with his childhood friend Sandy (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Reuben becomes reacquainted with an old high-school peer, Polly (Jennifer Aniston). The two start to hang out and sparks fly, despite the fact that their lives completely clash-Reuben is paranoid about making life safe, whereas Polly refuses to avoid any kind of risk. Regardless of their differences, the two see eye to eye until Reuben's adulteress wife comes back. Reuben will have to make a choice between what he thought he had with his wife, and what he hopes to have one day with Polly. One of the most disappointing aspects of this film was that Hoffman played one of its principal characters. This film is completely below his level when one considers the great films he has starred in-`25th Hour,' `Cold Mountain' and `Almost Famous.' However, even in this drivel of a film, he manages to pull off a performance that is convincing and in the end the funniest of the lot.
The most tiresome and ultimately disappointing aspect of `Along Came Polly' is in its main character, Reuben. John Hamburg, who served as the director, as well, wrote the film. Hamburg has crafted a film with a central character equal to that of Greg Focker in `Meet The Parents.' It is the same guy-an insecure man who wants nothing more than to impress someone for his or her attention and respect. It just proves what a no-brainer crafting this film was.
Stiller and Anniston are too good for these kinds of comedies anymore. They have both made good films: Stiller in `Meet The Parents,' and Anniston in `Office Space.' `Along Came Polly' is the kind of nonsense comedy that an actor starts out with to get their name known, but certainly not their talent. In essence, it is more of a paycheck for them and a way of saying, `Hey, at least I have made a movie now.' Unfortunately, `Along Came Polly' never needed to be made, or seen for that matter. **
so so not-very-funny comedy
posted on 23 Jun 2009Not a very good or memorable movie. It is better than most studio comedies, but that is not saying much. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's talents are wasted here, and Ben Stiller has been much funnier. This seems like another ploy to force Jennifer Aniston onto movie goers. The movie contains some laughs - but they come from fart jokes and a near sighted ferret. If you must see this movie, wait for video. I'm glad I saw it for free.
Along Came Polly
posted on 23 Jun 2009A comedy about a man named Reuben Feffer(Ben Stiller)meets a woman named Polly Prince(Jennifer Aniston) they are total opposites Polly lives life on the wild side and Reuben lives life on the safe side but as they say opposites attract.Ben Stiller gives a excellent performance as usual.Jennifer Aniston also gives a very good performance.This movie is full of hilarious characters such as his best friend sandy Lyle(Philip Seymour Hoffman),the scuba instructor,Reuben's boss,and a few others.The screenplay was very funny.All around the actors all do a great job especially Sandy Lyle(Philip Seymour Hoffman).The storyline was not lacking anything it was absolutely perfect.The directing was not extremely special but it was not entirely bad either.Best actor/actress-(Philip Seymour Hoffman) A movie full of fun- Jake Hyden I rated this 7 out of 10 Rated-(PG-13) for sexual content,language,crude humor and some drug references.7/10
OKay!
posted on 03 Jun 2009SPOILERS "Along came Polly" was a pretty good movie, there were serious downfalls to it though. There were many problems with the plot twists, first of all the main characters were quite lacking. I didn't particularly like Ben Stiller's character, it was the same as all his other movies, the shy character who means well but doesn't get it. Overall good acting eventhough Jennifer Aniston looked 40!
Safe
posted on 03 Jun 2009The story in this movie revolves around the choice between safety and richness. Because it assumes we are stupid, it has two story lines to hammer the point home, the point that safety is the wrong choice.And then in the highest of ironies, the picture is fabricated and presented in a way that picks the safe choice in every single element. Every one.But there is something worth watching here. If you take out the toilet jokes, and the two horrible main characters, and the sappy moral, and the dumb animal joke, you end up with a few great supporting characters: Hank Azaria, Alec Baldwin, and Missi Pyle could have made a better movie with just their characters.But the thing that makes this worth watching is Phil Hoffman. He is terrific in most things, but I like him best when he is like this, a weak director and no important function in the story. That means he can be inventive in unconstrained ways. It means we see his energetic projection.The character he plays is one of those folded ones: an actor playing an actor whose role in the story is in a play, and in a reality TeeVee show of himself, and finally as "proxy" for Ben Stiller while Stiller is off doing the formula date movie ending.Watch this just for Hoffman. See him perform the role as written: a hasbeen actor who has invented himself as a character. And then see him make that circular by convincing us that the actor is him in real life.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
no reason to hate on this movie
posted on 01 Jun 2009Sure, this is just fodder for those who miss the glory days of Ben Stiller (only about four-six years ago), but I don't think it deserved the critical onslaught it received. It's light-fare, easy to digest (save for Reuben's IBS - you have to see the movie to get my crappy joke), and inoffensive. There are even one or two memorable scenes, and Phil Sy Hoff is a welcome stand-in for Jack Black/Owen Wilson as Stiller's wingman. In fact, I'd like to see them together again. Oh, and Alec Baldwin shows up for all of five minutes and nearly steals the show. If you like his guest-work on SNL, you'll love him here.
Just Stiller being Stiller again
posted on 04 May 2009Ever notice how you get a different response if you ask people's opinion of a comedic actor as opposed to a dramatic one? Ask anyone about Tom Hanks and I bet you'll never hear 'Oh, I don't like him and his movies'. Sure, they might agree that Bonfire of the Vanities was not a breakthrough, but generally, no one has any strong opinions on the matter. Same can be said for Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep…I can go on and on.But ask a group about Adam Sandler and I bet you can separate a room based on their views. Jim Carrey? Mike Myers? How about Eddie Murphy? If someone doesn't find their brand of comedy funny, it is likely they won't even venture a glance at their films and even if they do, I'll bet they are unfairly judged even before the FBI warning on the DVD shows up.I have to admit, Ben Stiller elicits a response from me that is not in his favor. Sure, I laughed at his more contained roles in There's Something About Mary and Meet the Parents, but in movies where he had more creative control and let himself loose (Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch), I would rather watch my grandmother towel herself off. Don't get me wrong, he can be funny, but much like Adam Sandler, he seems to do the same shtick over and over again in hopes that we will continue to laugh at his self depreciating humor over different characters in different movies. He is what I consider a comedic presence that I can take only in small doses. So when Along Came Polly started showing it's trailers this winter, I held out little promise. Sure, seeing him face to sweaty belly with a hairy shirtless guy in a basketball game did prompt chuckles, but then we see a blind ferret and I was reminded of the pony in Envy, the pony in Starsky & Hutch, the dog in Mary, the parrot in Duplex….. I once heard a comedian say that if the first year of a sitcom is a success, the second year they add an animal and if it goes to a third, a child. Well, I guess this means that Stiller has gotten to second base. Unfortunately for me, I just sighed and hankered down to see Stiller play another, well…Stiller.Along Came Polly is a story about a down on his luck guy who catches his wife cheating with the scuba instructor on their honeymoon. Back in New York and trying to put the hurt behind him, Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) meets Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston) and begins to rebuild his pitiful date life. But there is one glaring problem. The two are glaring opposites. He defines risk for a living for an insurance company while she lives life off the cuff and is wild and adventurous. Complicating matters are the advice of his best friend Sandy (played with wonderful comedic wit from Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and the return of his wife (Debra Messing) who has admitted her mistake and wants to reconcile. Reuben must then choose between the two women in his life and with help from his friends, make a decision that will (of course) last a lifetime. Along Came Polly's biggest problem is with the headliner himself. Surrounded by far superior actors (Aniston, Hoffman), it is as if Stiller has to be soooo outlandish as to stand out from the rest. So, we have scenes like the one where Feffer eats spicy food and then uses Polly's bathroom, which just so happens, is out of toilet paper. Like any rational being, he uses a towel and soon the toilet is overflowing and he is thrust into an embarrassing situation once Polly storms through the door. It's good to see that we have evolved as a society enough that poop gags don't bring the house down with laughter any more. Effortlessly written and directed by John Hamburg (and that is not a compliment), it is as if he thought that Ben should be showcased in ridiculous situations and when given the chance, in slow motion. The basketball game gross out….slow motion. Feffer dancing like a complete and utter moron….slow motion. Some of you might find it funnier to have an actor showcase his stuff frame by frame, but since I kept looking at the DVD timer to see how much time was remaining in the film, the last thing I wanted was to see a scene at a snails pace.All this is too bad cause Along Came Polly did start with a roarous laugh. When Hoffman slips on the floor before the wedding, I nearly peed myself. It then raised my expectations thinking that we were off to a good start. But, all good things must come to an end. Too bad the humour ended about 30 seconds after the pratfall.
Stiller, Aniston, and friends make a silly but watchable little movie.
posted on 10 Apr 2009In "Along Came Polly", loaned to us by our neighbors, Ben Stiller creates Reuben Feffer, the kind of guy who has his whole life planned, including the ideal opening wedding to Lisa, played well by Debra Messing. Stiller has developed a knack for playing the underdog, a slightly askew character who bumbles around and gets himself into one uncomfortable situation after another. There is a good share of "bathroom" humor, much of it funny if you are predisposed to watching it. All told, there isn't much new or meaningful here, and only those who enjoy Stiller, Aniston, Hoffman, and friends in a silly comedy will enjoy this.Some SPOILERS are contained in the remaining comments, be warned. Things go bad right away for Reuben, when during the honeymoon the French diving guide and Lisa are found having sex on his boat. Justly angry, Reuben goes home without her and considers his marriage over, assuming Lisa will stay with Claude, played with great humor by Hank Azaria, one of our underrated actors. Stunned, and depressed, Reuben struggles to cope when he meets Polly Prince, played by Jennifer Aniston. She is the opposite of Reuben. She is messy, has no goals, and few roots, picking up and moving when she gets tired of a place. Reuben falls hopelessly for her, and Lisa turns up. She wants forgiveness for her "mistake", he considers it, but in the end decides she is not the person for him, he takes a new outlook on work, and is happy with Polly. Good for him that she came along!
Underrated!!!
posted on 04 Apr 2009This is the best comedy I've seen in years although it wasn't Ben Stiller who did it for me, it was his best friend. He was incredibly funny. His timing with his lines and the way he said them were amazing. Although I think the role was made for Jack Black I believe this guy lived up to the expectations of the hilarious lines. The way he explained what "shartered" was just about took the cake for the funniest explanation of a line of all time. One poor part of the movie I thought though was that Jennifer Aniston's character (Polly) didn't seem to be able to make up her mind about what she wanted. I thought if she'd known what she'd wanted from the start (even if she didn't show it to Ben Stiller's character, just us) it would have made it a lot easier to focus on the actual comedy of the movie.
Polly Indifferent
posted on 31 Mar 2009Reuben Feffer(Ben Stiller)has the good life. He is now married to a good woman, his job is well and his wife is now, cheating? Things go drastically wrong when Lisa Kramer-Feffer(Debra Messing)cheats on a scuba diving instructor on their honey moon which sets Reuben on a frenzy with old time friends Sandy Lyle(Philip Seymour Hoffman)and Polly Prince(Jennifer Aniston). Soon Reuben and Polly both start dating.Redolfo was the cutest in this movie.I recommend Rock Star and Leprechaun. This is another to add to your collection. If you like nonsensical movies about romance that is.
Life with Polly is a risk
posted on 21 Mar 2009Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) works as a risk analyst for an insurance company. He has lived his whole life avoiding risk, when he finally gets married. On the first day of their honeymoon, his wife Lisa (Debra Messing) has an affair with a French scuba diving instructor. Reuben is devastated and flies back home leaving Lisa. Two weeks later, Reuben meets Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston) an old friend from the 7th grade. Polly has traveled the world and has just broken up with her latest boyfriend. Reuben has hit rock bottom and takes a chance by getting involved with Polly. This is your average romantic comedy with several gag jokes that Ben Stiller is famous for in his movies. (Universal Pictures, Run Time 1:30, Rating PG-13) (6/10)
exactly what i expected..
posted on 17 Mar 2009This movie was EXACTLY what I expected, and I love when that happens. True, the physically nasty comedy (ie the sweaty guy and the bloody tooth) was a bit much, and the whole movie seemed familiar. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a poor man's Jack Black, and Jennifer Aniston (in this film, anyway) a poor man's Sandra Bullock. Now that I think about it, this movie was basically Forces of Nature without the depressing ending. I love Aniston, but I'm sick of her "look at me I'm so ordinary" act all the time. She's good, but she's no Julia Roberts. I've never liked Ben Stiller, really - Zoolander was awful and Meet the Parents just made me feel sorry for him, but this wasn't really either. But.. He plays an uptight dork SO well! Alec Baldwin was hilarious, although proving just how old he really is, and Hank Azaria was just channeling his role from America's Sweethearts. Aniston and Stiller's chemistry, however, left much to be desired, and there should've been more of them dating - this was a movie that could've stood to be a bit longer. It did, however, make me want my own risk assessment program. Decent acting, funny plot, predictable, only a touch of sadness that they didn't delve into about her dad, but the whole thing felt forced. C+, B-..
Along Came Polly
posted on 17 Mar 2009From director John Hamburg (writer of Zoolander and Meet the Parents), I had seen the trailer for it, and I knew how many stars the critics gave it, so I just said "what the hell". Basically risk analyst Reuben Feffer (Razzie nominated Ben Stiller) marries who he thinks is his true love, Lisa Kramer (Debra Messing), and he loses her when on their paradise honeymoon she cheats on him with foreign scuba instructor Claude (The Simpsons' Hank Azaria). When he returns home his friends, including actor Sandy Lyle (Philip Seymour Hoffman), try to cheer him up by meeting new people, and it is doing this that he meets old school classmate Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston). Reuben and Polly go dating quite a few times after, he is a risk-avoider and she is a free-spirit, and it is when Lisa returns begging him to take her back that trouble is obvious to follow. Towards the end, Reuben tries to determine who would be the perfect partner with a computer earnings thing, which Polly sees, but don't worry, he says no to Lisa and gets Polly in the end. Also starring Bryan Brown as Leland Van Lew, Alec Baldwin as Stan Indursky, Jsu Garcia as Javier, Michele Lee as Vivian Feffer, Bob Dishy as Irving Feffer, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Missi Pyle as Roxanne and Heroes' Masi Oka as Wonsuk. There were the tiniest giggles, but this isn't that funny, and the romance story isn't exactly gripping, so I wouldn't be keen to see it again. Okay!
This movie is hilarious
posted on 13 Mar 2009I thought this was about a silly romance, so I didn't see it when it first came out. I rented the DVD and I liked it so much I watched it again with my daughter two nights later. I should have known Ben Stiller wouldn't do a totally "straight" movie, but the comedy wasn't so over the top either. It was a perfect blend of comedy and sincerity. One of the stand-out performances came from Hank Azaria. His portrayal of the French scuba instructor, Claude, was a scene-stealer. One of the funniest characters I've seen in a long time. I recommend this as a perfect date movie, or if you're just sitting at home and want to LOL! Be sure to check out the gag reel.
Great Movie
posted on 26 Aug 2009This movie is hilarious....if you've only watched it one time, you probably find it average, but after the second or third time, you start realizing that it's hilarious. Philip Seymour Hoffman is the funniest guy in the movie, even though some people find his role quite annoying. Alec Baldwin also plays a very funny role. In my opinion, it's one of Ben Stiller's best roles. Ruben is a careful, but loving man that is funny even if he's not trying to be. Jennifer Aniston is also pretty good in the movie, she plays an insecure girl that has no concrete decisions.If you have only seen this movie once...I strongly suggest that you watch it again and pay attention to all the small, but funny details of the movie.