Along Came Polly
I have come to realize that the vast majority of rom-coms are exactly the same. Boy meets girl, they like each other but some kind of conflict occurs and boy and girl end up together. Boy and girl typically fit some kind of easily identifiable “type” which their entire character development is based after. Boy could be a bad rebel-without-a-cause type, or maybe nerdy and shy. Girl could be a femme fatale or sweet and innocent. Typically there is some side character best friend who is the main source of comedic relief.
“Along Came Polly” certainly fits this build your own rom-com stencil. We have sad boy main character named Reuben, played by Ben Stiller. His main character trait is that he is boring and afraid to take risks. His job is to measure risk for an insurance company. You can’t get more boring and risk-free than that. He faces the consequences of his dullness once his wife becomes turned off by his boring nature and cheats on him during their honeymoon. After this sad moment, he meets his love interest, the titular Polly.
Unlike Reuben, Polly is free-spirited. She lives life on the edge, going to ethnic restaurants and salsa dancing— both activities unimaginable to Reuben. They knew each other when they were younger, but reunite at an art gallery that Reuben’s friend Sandy brings him to. Sandy is the side-kick. Through ridiculous gimmicks and his odd side plot line following his role in an amateur production of Jesus Christ Superstar, he provides many of the laughs for this film. Conflict inevitably ensues in Polly and Reuben’s relationship, as a result of their contrasting personality types and his complicated relationship status. Nevertheless, things inevitably turn out alright and everyone ends up happy.
Clearly this film isn’t original or even particularly interesting. I fell asleep for a little bit and still knew exactly what was going on as the film was just that predictable.
The characters are flat, each defined by their one character trait and nothing else. The jokes aren’t clever original; they are all easy laughs that have certainly appeared before in some other meh rom-com. I wasn’t particularly invested in the main characters and mostly finished the film so that I could write this review.
That said, I still laughed. Even if the film is not particularly deep, creative or intelligent, I can see it’s appeal. “Along Came Polly” is your typical rom-com, and when in the right mood can be perfect. In the same way that “Grey’s Anatomy” is an awful show but is still fantastically enjoyable to watch, “Along Came Polly” can be great for easy laughs and the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with watching people be happy in movies. If you are looking for a cutting-edge film or something deserving of an Oscar, you shouldn’t be watching a rom-com to begin with. If you and your friends are bored one night and want something you don’t need to use your brain to enjoy, this is perfect.