.: Roberts' Reviews - Movie Reviews :.

Ever notice how you get a different response if you ask people's opinion of a comedic actor as opposed to a dramatic one? Ask anyone about Tom Hanks and I bet you'll never hear "Oh, I don't like him and his movies". Sure, they might agree that Bonfire of the Vanities was not a breakthrough, but generally, no one has any strong opinions on the matter. Same can be said for Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep.I can go on and on.

But ask a group about Adam Sandler and I bet you can separate a room based on their views. Jim Carrey? Mike Myers? How about Eddie Murphy? If someone doesn't find their brand of comedy funny, it is likely they won't even venture a glance at their films and even if they do, I'll bet they are unfairly judged even before the FBI warning on the DVD shows up.

I have to admit, Ben Stiller elicits a response from me that is not in his favor. Sure, I laughed at his more contained roles in There's Something About Mary and Meet the Parents, but in movies where he had more creative control and let himself loose (Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch), I would rather watch my grandmother towel herself off. Don't get me wrong, he can be funny, but much like Adam Sandler, he seems to do the same shtick over and over again in hopes that we will continue to laugh at his self depreciating humor over different characters in different movies. He is what I consider a comedic presence that I can take only in small doses.

So when Along Came Polly started showing it's trailers this winter, I held out little promise. Sure, seeing him face to sweaty belly with a hairy shirtless guy in a basketball game did prompt chuckles, but then we see a blind ferret and I was reminded of the pony in Envy, the pony in Starsky & Hutch, the dog in Mary, the parrot in Duplex... I once heard a comedian say that if the first year of a sitcom is a success, the second year they add an animal and if it goes to a third, a child. Well, I guess this means that Stiller has gotten to second base. Unfortunately for me, I just sighed and hankered down to see Stiller play another, well.Stiller.

Along Came Polly is a story about a down on his luck guy who catches his wife cheating with the scuba instructor on their honeymoon. Back in New York and trying to put the hurt behind him, Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) meets Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston) and begins to rebuild his pitiful date life. But there is one glaring problem. The two are glaring opposites. He defines risk for a living for an insurance company while she lives life off the cuff and is wild and adventurous. Complicating matters are the advice of his best friend Sandy (played with wonderful comedic wit from Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and the return of his wife (Debra Messing) who has admitted her mistake and wants to reconcile. Reuben must then choose between the two women in his life and with help from his friends, make a decision that will (of course) last a lifetime.

Along Came Polly's biggest problem is with the headliner himself. Surrounded by far superior actors (Aniston, Hoffman), it is as if Stiller has to be soooo outlandish as to stand out from the rest. So, we have scenes like the one where Feffer eats spicy food and then uses Polly's bathroom, which just so happens, is out of toilet paper. Like any rational being, he uses a towel and soon the toilet is overflowing and he is thrust into an embarrassing situation once Polly storms through the door. It's good to see that we have evolved as a society enough that poop gags don't bring the house down with laughter any more.

Effortlessly written and directed by John Hamburg (and that is not a compliment), it is as if he thought that Ben should be showcased in ridiculous situations and when given the chance, in slow motion. The basketball game gross out..slow motion. Feffer dancing like a complete and utter moron..slow motion. Some of you might find it funnier to have an actor showcase his stuff frame by frame, but since I kept looking at the DVD timer to see how much time was remaining in the film, the last thing I wanted was to see a scene at a snails pace.

All this is too bad cause Along Came Polly did start with a roarous laugh. When Hoffman slips on the floor before the wedding, I nearly peed myself. It then raised my expectations thinking that we were off to a good start. But, all good things must come to an end. Too bad the humour ended about 30 seconds after the pratfall.