Along Came Polly

“Along Came Polly” is a romantic comedy chronicling the many mortifications of neurotic, downtrodden risk analyst Rueben Feffer who, after being cuckolded by his new bride on the second day of their honeymoon in St. Bart’s, falls for a well-traveled, free-spirited catering waitress with a love of salsa dancing, a fear of commitment, a blind ferret, and a fondness for ethnic foods. Reuben and Polly both have issues, but will love conquer all in this risky relationship?

In the meantime, Reuben’s boss assigns him to make a case for insuring high-risk Australian businessman Leland Van (a subplot which seems to serve little purpose other than to provide a neat parallel to the dynamic of Reuben and Polly’s burgeoning relationship.

“Along Came Polly” is basically another spin on the stock neurotic everyman Stiller has been playing on the big screen since “Reality Bites.” This character clearly works better in Stiller’s edgier, less formulaic films (“Flirting With Disaster,” “Your Friends & Neighbors,” and “The Royal Tenenbaums”) than the typically prepackaged predictable Hollywood fare (“There’s Something About Mary,” “Mystery Men,” “Meet the Parents,” “Keeping the Faith”) he alternates with them in order to keep himself bankable.

Despite awkward pacing and a wholesale lack of originality in plot, characterization, and style (etc, etc), the goofy chemistry between Stiller and Aniston, along with some genuinely funny supporting performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hank Azaria, and Alec Baldwin almost save “Along Came Polly” from the crushing weight of its romantic comedy formula—almost.

Matt Parks (February 18, 2004)