|
Review by Dustin Putman
2 stars out of 4
"Along Came Polly" aspires to be both a love story and an outrageous
comedy, a'la "There's Something About Mary" (even the title none so
subtly recalls that 1998 Farrelly brothers hit), but writer-director
John Hamburg fails to achieve such a feat. The romance is implausible
and unconvincing, while the humor never quite takes flight to achieve
its comedic capabilities. What is left, then, is a purely formulaic
romantic comedy not fresh or memorable enough to garner an identity of its own.
When Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) gets married to the lovely Lisa Kramer
(a wasted Debra Messing), they follow it up with what is supposed
to be an ideal tropical honeymoon. Instead, things take a disastrous
turn when Reuben catches Lisa cheating on him with their hunky scuba
instructor, Claude (Hank Azaria). Broken up over a marriage that ended
before it had a chance to begin (think Britney Spears' recent Las
Vegas nuptials), Reuben returns to his New York City job as a risk assessment analyst.
At a party w ith best friend Sandy (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Reuben
has a chance encounter with junior high pal Polly Prince (Jennifer
Aniston). Polly is a decidedly flighty eternal free spirit, and Reuben
lives his life through schedules and order, but her exact opposite
disposition on life is the very thing that immediately draws himself
to her. As Reuben suffers in the name of love, going to Polly's favorite
Indian restaurants (he can't handle spicy foods) and learning salsa
dancing, their relationship hits its first blow with the reappearance
of Lisa, who wants a second chance.
"Along Came Polly" is predictablemaybe more so than the norm because
if you've seen the theatrical trailer, you've basically seen the whole
moviebut so are most films of this genre. Instead, the picture's fatal
mistake is that, regardless of how energetic the cast is, the romanc
e doesn' t work on any level. On their own, Reuben and Polly are original
enough character creations, with Reuben a by-the-book straight arrow
who assessing every possible risk in life through a percentage and
Polly a joyfully disorganized gypsy who never stays in one place long
enough to get bored. Together, they fit about as well as two unrelated
jigsaw puzzle pieces. While one can possibly believe Reuben might
be attracted to Polly's liberated ways, there is no reason given for
why Polly would even glance in Reuben's direction twice. There connection
between these two people is never palpably felt, nor is there any
heat or chemistry. Because of this sad fact, the romanceindeed, the
whole point of its existenceflounders miserably.
What does work, and what makes the viewing experience a passable,
if not worthwhile, one, is the sharp character w ork by a few of its
supporting players. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (2002's "25th Hour") can
do no wrong, and does it again here as Sandy Lyle, a former child
star who in his adulthood has clung to the fame achieved from a sole
film appearance in a "Breakfast Club"-style teen flick. Hoffman is
at his quirky best, wavering between truthful pathos and successful
comedic flourishes (as when, playing Judas, he takes it upon himself
to sing Jesus' empowering musical number in an off-Broadway production
of "Jesus Christ Superstar"). As Leland, a client of Reuben's who
with every daredevil stunt he partakes in plummets his chances of
being insured by the company, Bryan Brown also stands out, bringing
a daffy likability to a person oblivious to the danger he constantly puts himself in.
As main attracti ons Reuben and Polly, Ben Stiller (2003's "Duplex")
and Jennifer Aniston (2003's "Bruce Almighty") are also good, but
these frothy, undemanding parts are so beneath them it almost hurts.
Stiller, a warm and funny presence with impeccable comic timing, has
begun to repeat himself too often. And Aniston, who delivered the
most powerful performance of 2002 in "The Good Girl," has followed
up this success with two phoned-in love interest roles. Aniston's
Polly may be a part of the film's title, but she never breaks free
of one dimension and shows no satisfying growth by the end, aside
from what the plot has demanded she do. And Polly's consistent noncommittal
attitude toward everything she does stops being endearing midway through
and becomes downright frustrating. By the conclusion, when she threatens
to move away again simply because of her conflict with Reuben, you
have half a notion to slap some sense into Polly. This likely wasn't
the response writer-director John Hamburg was going for, but that
is exactly how he has clumsily constructed this character.
"Along Came Polly" has a few laughs, including the long-overdue definition
of what a "shart" is, but they come and go without a whole lot of
impact. The film, as a whole, falls victim to the same quandary. The
machinations of the plot creak along as one cliched and unextraordinary
event follows the next. As for the love story between Reuben and Polly,
it is stillborn. There's nothing particularly terrible about "Along
Came Polly," but, save for a handful of performances, nothing particularly good, either.
Copyright © 2004 Dustin Putman
|
out of 4
