"The movie has a breezy, negligible feeling to it. It earns quite a few solid laughs, and while it's not worthy of tremendous success, it warrants a look." Eric D Snider ERICDSNIDER.COM "When the laughs are long gone, the characters will stay with you, especially Polly. She's a real one of a kind whom you'll be glad you met." Steve Rhodes STEVE RHODES' INTERNET REVIEWS

"Not since that famous tussle with Cameron Diaz’s dog in There’s Something About Mary has Stiller connected so agreeably with a costar." Ed Gonzalez SLANT MAGAZINE "The actors are really funny and well-cast -- especially the robust ferret who ultimately steals the show!" Staci Layne Wilson FANTASTICA DAILY "Stiller continues with his brand of physically clinched characters who always seem to have major bathroom mishaps" Laura Clifford REELING REVIEWS

At A Glance Ben Stiller, that crazy star of "Zoolander" and "Meet The Parents" teams up with the gorgeous star of "Friends" and "The Good Girl", Jennifer Aniston, to bring you this light hearted, flighty look at romance through the eyes of a 'risk assessor'. But don't go expecting a story line full of mushy romantic moments or laugh your guts out comedy because the courting game is a serious and risky business folks. Sure there are some really good laughs, and yes, there's a genuine need for the two lead characters to hookup, but this is a romance facing many a difficult moment. The bonus is that even though their characters are worlds apart, Stiller and Aniston do make quite a nice team. Which is a bit of a surprise because according to writer director John Hamburg the actors who would play the lead roles were the furtherest thing from his mind when it came to writing the script. In other words he didn't envisage either Stiller or Aniston in the roles and didn't intentionally set out to write the script with either of them in mind. "I was trying to write a romantic comedy and I had these characters in mind," he said. "For the most part, I really did not try to write and not picture any actors in the roles because I like to write these people until they become real to me." But eventually Ben Stiller did spring to mind. Right? "I had worked with Ben on several movies before, and the more I wrote Reuben, the more I thought that Ben was the perfect guy to do it," he admitted. "I think every day I imagined him doing different scenes." And you had worked with Ben before on "Zoolander" but this role has it's dramatic moment, it's not an all out comedy. You didn't have any reservations about casting him as Reuben Feffer? "Ben is the perfect guy to play this role because he is a great actor," Hamburg said. "Even though it's a comedy, Reuben goes through dramatic things, like his wife leaving him and excruciating pain. What I wanted for this movie is a very grounded kind of reality to the comedy." Like the scenes in the restaurant with the hot food, which I can relate to because I have a friend who even at the slightest hint of chilli just soaks himself with sweat? "It's all based on situations that if you're watching as an audience member, you relate to the fear of ever being in that situation," he said. So how did you find your 'Polly'? "I was trying to figure out who could play Polly and Jennifer came about for various reasons. She was terrific in "Office Space" and just phenomenal in "The Good Girl," he says. "I met with her and it just felt really right". Did you think though that she might have trouble keeping up with Ben Stiller? "I knew that she would have the ability to play the scenes opposite Ben and to keep up with him in terms of comic ability and comic timing but could also play the dramatic scenes," he said. And this is a good role for Jennifer which follows her great performance in "The Good Girl". "Jennifer brought so much to Polly, stuff that only she could create, and she is funny and sublime," he added. Also impressed with the two stars was producer Michael Shamberg. "Ben's not just perfect for Reuben, Ben's a natural actor. Also he has that kind of vulnerable everyman quality that he's so comfortable with," Shamberg says, "as does Jennifer. She's very much the big screen lead with Ben in this. They're a great pair." Producer Stacey Sher adds, "There's no arguing that Jennifer's done fantastic work, both on television and in her films. But with Polly she's really amazing. She's this wonderful mix, funny and touching, a true star." So what were some of the casts thoughts when it came to working on "Along Came Polly"? Jennifer Aniston says, "When I read the script, I laughed, I mean, bent over laughing sometimes throughout the whole thing, and that just doesn't happen that often. John's such an incredible writer and such a good director. Getting romantic comedy right is hard, and John does it. And makes it hilarious as well." Philip Seymour Hoffman said, "I remember I read the screenplay with my girlfriend and we just laughed out loud the whole script. It made me feel good reading it, I laughed a lot, and the character of Sandy is just extremely humorous, clever and smart." And working with Ben Stiller? "Working with Ben has been really helpful. He has a mind for it, but at the end of the day everyone is trying to act well." Aussie star Bryan Brown , who plays the adventurous Australian billionaire Leland Van Lew quips, "John Hamburg is a bloody nice bloke. When you read his script you realize how clever he is, he knows his stuff and he knows how he wants his movie."Esteemed actor Alec Baldwin is cast as Reuben's boss Stan Indursky. It's a role he fills decidedly well and he obviously enjoyed the time he spent on the film. "John is clear-cut in his writing, his comedy is grounded in a kind of slightly off-centered universe. I had a great time working with him, Ben and the rest of the cast. It was a good mix of all types of actors that joined together into a strong ensemble, with John at its head." And Ben Stiller? He's full of praise for Hamburg. "It's great to have somebody who you know is that good working on something from the beginning. And it's just more fun to work with him on-set because we laugh at the same thing and he probably gets me to do things that I wouldn't normally feel that comfortable doing." Casting About "Along Came Polly" was directed and written by John Hamburg ["Safe Men", "Zoolander" and "Meet The Parents"], produced by Danny DeVito ["One Flew Over The Cookoos Nest","Terms Of Endearment", "Heist" and "Big Fish"] Michael Shamberg ["Erin Brockovich", "The Big Chill", "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Gattaca"] and Stacey Sher ["Pulp Fiction", "Get Shorty", "Erin Brockovich" and "Gattaca"] with original music by Theodore Shapiro ["Old School", "View From The Top" and "Safe Men"].
"Along Came Polly" stars Ben Stiller ["There's Something About Mary", "Zoolander", "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Meet The Parents".], Philip Seymour Hoffman ["Red Dragon", "Punch Drunk Love", "25th Hour" and "Cold Mountain"], Alec Baldwin ["State and Main", "Glengarry Glen Ross", "Married To The Mob" and narrated "The Royal Tenenbaums"], Debra Messing ["Hollywood Ending", "The Mothman Prophecies", "Celebrity" and "A Walk In The Clouds".], Hank Azaria ["Grosse Point Blank", "Pretty Woman", "Mystery Alsaska" and "Godzilla"], Bryan Brown ["FX", "Cocktail", "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Tai-Pan"] and Jennifer Aniston ["She's The One", Picture Perfect", "The Good Girl" & "Bruce Almighty"] as Polly Prince. Want Some Polly Trivia? In 1992 Danny DeVito co-founded the production company Jersey Films which has produced such smash hits as "Pulp Fiction", "Erin Brockovich" and "Get Shorty". De Vito has also directed a number of films including "Throw Momma From The Train", "Hoffa" and "The War Of The Roses". De Vito was well known before his film career took off as Louie De Palma in the hit TV show "Taxi". De Vito's first success after graduating, attending the Academy Of Dramatic Arts, and then years of unemployment came on the stage with a role with the lead role in one of the three act plays that made up "The Man With A Flower In His Mouth". His pay packet? $US60 per week.
Ben Azaria has appeared in a number of films but did you know he has won three Emmy Awards for his work on a very popular TV series. Can you guess which one? It was "The Simpsons". Far removed from "The Simpsons", he received a Screen Actors Guild Award for his critically acclaimed role as Agador Spartucus in a film which starred Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman. The film was "The Bird Cage".
Debra Messing, star of the smash hit TV show "Will and Grace" spends her free time supporting such charities as Project Angel Food, Human Rights Campaign and Breast Cancer. Her career got off to an impressive start on the stage.
Philip Seymour Hoffman appeared in a film written by his brother Gordy. His role in "Love Lisa" received rave reviews. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival where it won Gordy the "Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award"
Jennifer Aniston joined the Rudolf Steiner School Drama Club at the age of 11. She had a real passion for art and one of her paintings was selected for a display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Aninston's first TV appearances was in 1989 on the show "Molloy".
Ben Stiller made his acting debut on Broadway in John Guare's "The House Of Blue Leaves". While appearing on stage in the play he talked the star, John Mahoney, and cast members Swoozie Kurtz, Julie Hagerty and Stockard Channing into making a short film "The Hustler Of Money". The take off of Martin Scorsese's film "The Color of Money" was aired on the "Saturday Night Live" show. This subsequently led to Stiller being hired as a player and writer on the show.
Producer Stacey Sher received the "Women In Film Independant Vision Award" [2000] and the "Mary Pickford Award [2002] for her outstanding achievements. Sher recently produced Todd Graffs critically acclaimed feature film "Camp".
Producer Michael Shamberg is a partner in Double Feature Films with Stacey Sher. The Story Reuben Feffer is a man who doesn't take risks. And why should he. That is until his marriage goes belly up on the first day of the honeymoon. And yes it seems bad news travels fast. By the time he returns home, everyone knows whats happened. Then he meets Polly Prince. The two know each other from their school days. They were both U.N delegates in the Model U.N way back in grade seven. The Risk Assessor for a leading insurance company is about to find out that when it comes to true love you need to forget the odds and take a few risks. Especially when the person you are falling in love with is the opposite to everything you thought you knew. Will the old saying, 'opposites attract' ring true for Reuben and Polly? The Verdict "It may not be to everyones taste but it is a light hearted comdey romp which has some very funny moments. If you loved "Punch Drunk Love" then this will be right up your alley. Worth seeing just for Jennifer Aniston, who grows better and more beautiful with each role. Worth a look!" The Cast

Ben Stiller Jennifer Aniston Philip Seymour Hoffman Debra Messing Alec Baldwin Hank Azaria Bryan Brown Jsu Garcia Michele Lee Bob Dishy Missi Pyle Judah Friedlander Kevin Hart Masi Oka Kym E Whitley Amy Hohn Nathan Dean Cheryl Hines Caroline Aaron Christina Kirk Todd Stashwick

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Reuben Feffer Polly Prince Sandy Lyle Lisa Kramer Stan Indursky Claude Leland Van Lew Javier Vivian Feffer Irving Feffer Roxanne Dustin Vic Wonsuk Gladys Cheryl Mitch Catering Manager Wedding Coordinator Party Hostess Security Officer

The Crew Directed & Written by John Hamburg Produced by Danny DeVito/Michael Shamberg & Stacey Sher Executive Producers Jane Bartelme & Daniel S Levine Associate Producer Anders Bard Original Music by Theodore Shapiro Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey Film Editing by William Kerr & Nick Moore Casting by Kathleen Chopin Production Design by Andrew Laws Art Direction by Martin Whist Set Decoration by Don Diers Costume Design by Cindy Evans Production Manager Daniel M Stillman Run Time minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Warner Brothers - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved