Review: Along Came Polly

Posted by: Tom Milroy  •  January 16, 2004 @ 11:59am

Filed under: Reviews

In Hollywood, mid-January is a popular time to release movies that aren't expected to do much. The Mothman Prophecies, National Security, and Orange County were all released in Januarys of the past. It's not that these movies were horrible, it's just considered a bonus if they do happen to make a ton of money. It's rare for an Oscar-winner to be released at this time of year.

Along Came Polly with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston won't be Picture of the Year, but it's not a dog either. It's like a 90-minute Made-for-TV movie with saltier language and a few more fart sound effects.

Polly has a great supporting cast in Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing, Hank Azaria, and Alec Baldwin. (Memo to Alec: try skipping a few meals.)

The story: Ben plays a cautious risk-assessor who catches his wife cheating on him while on their honeymoon! Anyway, he hooks up with Jennifer Aniston's character, Polly Prince, and there are some genuine laughs, but like I say, this is no Oscar winner.

But so what! On a cold night, it was an hour and a half of fun. Who knew something starring a duo named "Ben and Jen" could be this much fun.