Barnes & Noble

The inspired teaming of Ben Stiller with Jennifer Aniston makes this formulaic romantic comedy a whole lot better than it has any right to be -- in fact, it's the primary reason for the film's success. Stiller once again plays a hapless, neurotic Everyman; this time it's Reuben Feffer, a tightly wound insurance adjustor who specializes in risk assessment. After spending his entire adult life avoiding risk, Reuben decides to throw caution to the winds after being cuckolded on his honeymoon. A chance meeting with former classmate Polly Parker (Aniston), a kooky iconoclast whose life is as unstructured as Reuben's is regimented, results in an unlikely but hilarious courtship. The laughs come via his gradual, reluctant acceptance of her spontaneous lifestyle and devil-may-care attitude. John Hamburg, who previously directed Stiller in Zoolander and Meet the Parents, knows exactly how to handle his star and milk comedic situations for all they're worth. Comedy grounded in bodily functions dominates -- Reuben's irritable bowel syndrome makes his excursions to Polly's favorite ethnic restaurants the dietary equivalent of kamikaze missions -- but Hamburg knows how to rein Stiller in before his character's eccentricities become too off-putting. Aniston is ideally cast as the free-spirited Polly, and the supporting characters are top-notch, too. Philip Seymour Hoffman is hilarious as Reuben's best friend, a slovenly former child star whose comeback attempts seem doomed to failure. Alec Baldwin creates a memorable impression in his limited screen time as Feffer's boorish boss; Debra Messing is properly perky as the unfaithful bride; and Hank Azaria steals the few brief scenes in which he plays a French scuba instructor. Although it's not the most tasteful comedy you'll ever see, Along Came Polly remains extremely endearing: It reinforces Stiller's star status and suggests that Aniston's big-screen career may someday overshadow her work on Friends. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Screenwriter John Hamburg directs his second film (since his 1998 debut Safe Men) with the romantic comedy Along Came Polly. Ben Stiller plays Reuben Feffer, a professional risk assessor who never takes chances in any aspect of his life. When his new bride Lisa (Debra Messing) leaves him for a European scuba instructor named Claude (Hank Azaria), he finally decides to a risk of his own. At a party, he meets free-spirited Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), whom he remembers from his seventh-grade Model U.N. Unlike the control-freak Reuben, she's spent her life living on the edge. They reluctantly begin a romance and Polly introduces him to a new world of spicy food and suggestive dances. Along Came Polly also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Reuben's washed-up best friend Sandy Lyle and Alec Baldwin as the obnoxious insurance company boss Stan Indursky. Andrea LeVasseur

Product Details

• UPC: 025192442926
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Time: 1:31:00

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Ben Stiller Collection
• Along Came Polly / Reality Bites / Mystery Men
• Romantic Comedy Pack Quadruple Feature (4pc)

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