There's much to like about "Along Came Polly." Ben Stiller is solid as Reuben Feffer, whose perfect honeymoon comes to a premature end on the second day when he catches his bride (TV's over-rated Debra Messing) cheating on him with a foreign water-skiing instructor (Hank Azaria). Reuben is a risk management assessor, and rules his life by making choices that will minimize stress and potential fatality.
His boss is Stan Indurski (the terrific Alec Baldwin), who wants him to check on the insurability of Aussie crazy man Leland Van Lew (Bryan Brown), whose idea of fun is parachute jumping from tall buildings in the middle of the city.
His best friend is former child star Sandy Lyle (Philip Seymour Hoffman), whose "Breakfast Club" days are behind him. Lyle is one mess of a manchild, whose career now consists of stealing the thunder in a community theater version of "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Reuben's shattered marriage leads him to look up Polly Prince (Aniston) after a chance meeting at an art exhibit. She's a free spirit coming off of a bad relationship, who lives in a milk-crate furnished apartment in the low-rent district. Her roommate and constant companion is a near-sighted ferret.
You can pretty much write this from here, can't you? The two will date, Messing will return, and Ben will choose. There are very few surprises in the film, but there are a lot of laughs.
Jennifer Aniston doesn't seem to have a handle on the Polly Prince character, however, and the romance between these two characters never really becomes believable.
This movie is far less cloying than last year's "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,"with more humor as well. Baldwin continues to surprise, and Hoffman, Michele Lee and Bob Dishy lend able support, and the script badly needs it.
Ben Stiller fans need to instead turn to HBO and catch his hilarious turn on this season's batch of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" programs. Jennifer Aniston will undoubtedly shine as "Friends" winds down for the last time, and she needs to be seen to be believed in the uproarious comedy "Office Space," available on home video and DVD.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/1/165197