Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Along Came Polly Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 1, 2024

Writer John Hamburg obviously found himself with a major hit on his hands with Meet the Parents, the 2000 Ben Still and Robert De Niro comedy, a hit that opened some doors for him to write and direct a number of features to follow. Though not his directorial debut, 2004's Along Came Polly was certainly his first major directing gig. Again starring Ben Stiller, Hamburg's project, which he also wrote, was a major box office hit despite lukewarm-to-poor critical response. The film pairs Stiller with Jennifer Aniston in a RomCom about trusting the heart rather than taking an analytical approach to life.

Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) is a micromanager. He’s concerned about every minute detail of his upcoming wedding ceremony. He is a “risk assessment manager” for a large firm, so it comes naturally, but it would appear that he was, in this case, unable to see the risk factors in his own marriage. On his honeymoon, literally just hours after his wedding to Lisa Kramer (Debra Messing), he finds her cheating on him with a nudist French scuba tour guide named Claude (Hank Azaria). She chooses to ditch Reuben for Claude, leaving him to return to New York, to all of the wedding gifts, alone, and start his life over again.

As Reuben does all he can to settle back into some semblance of a way of life and routine at work and in his heart, his boss, Stan Indursky (Alex Baldwin), thrusts him into a high-profile insurance assessment of a freewheeling, adventurous, and risk-taking CEO named Leland Van Lew (Bryan Brown). Meanwhile, his best friend, Sandy (Philip Seymour Hoffman), tries to get Reuben back on his game. Sandy takes him to a party at an art gallery where, well, along comes Polly (Jennifer Aniston), an old school classmate that Reuben has not seen since the seventh grade. But he’s insistent that Polly is his destiny, at least until he chickens out on a phone call. But, nevertheless, the relationship gains a little steam, even as he is risk averse and she is terrified of commitment.

The film can be a bit crude, but it’s effective in plot and slapstick. While Stiller and Ainston pair well enough (though certainly they lack the chemistry of the all-time great RomCom pairings), the film is more about releasing and escaping from emotional baggage and personal hangups and less about the actual flesh and blood aspect of things. For Reuben, it’s not just about the relationship with Polly but also his relationship with himself: letting go, letting loose, putting his past behind him, and looking to the future. Eventually, though, he is going to have to trust his heart and not his analytical brain, which of course is in direct conflict with what he does for a living. Likewise, Polly will have to learn how to commit; she does not only struggle over the long term with commitment, but in the short: she can’t even commit to a date over the phone moments after she’s asked him out – while still on the same call. Both actors are fine, and they are surrounded by some doozy support performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Hank Azaria, two that really make the movie tick (but what’s up with Baldwin’s accent?).

Along Came Polly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As far as Universal catalogue releases go, Along Came Polly isn't at all bad. The 1080p transfer is certainly not going to knock any socks off, but it's a relatively healthy, consistently stable, and foundationally filmic image that handles duties fairly well, all things considered, and mercifully does not fall into that realm of so many Universal catalogue titles that are clearly a byproduct of a DVD era master. While this is certainly not any great shakes, it doesn't appear to be overzealously scrubbed and digitized, instead holding to a pleasing filmic veneer that allows natural film textures to present on the screen and satisfy at least essential format expectations. The result is some nice, tangible texturing out on city streets, for example, as well as good definition to faces, clothes, an even sandy beaches as seen in the film's bookends. Colors are appropriately bold, lacking absolute vividness and complete precision, but boasting good foundational yield across a broad spectrum of colors, again both in city exteriors, various interiors (from cooler offices to warmer restaurants), and, again, the beach. Black levels are fine, whites balance is good, and skin tones look fairly close to accurate. There is very little in the way of print wear to consider and the encode is in good shape. Yes, a fresh 4K master would do a load of good, but this is surpasses the expectations for a Universal catalogue release of this vintage.

Along Came Polly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal releases Along Came Polly to Blu-ray with a standard issue DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack encode. The presentation actually has some very good high point and high yield moments. As the film opens, listeners will enjoy a nice sense of engaging raucous and rowdy content at a brief wedding ceremony montage. As the (then) happy couple arrives at their Caribbean honeymoon destination, the Caribbean-style music enters the listening area with wonderful depth and spacing. There are some scattered prominent impact effects throughout the film, especially in a sequence out at sea just over an hour into the movie where a big thunderclap booms and heavy winds push the boat to and fro, with water splashing and odds and ends rolling around belowdecks. The track also handles city atmosphere, the music and din at a Salsa dance club, and other environmental cues quite nicely for clarity and surround wrap. Musical content is pleasing, with score playing with fine definition across the front and offering essential support through the backs. Dialogue enjoys perfect prioritization, grounded front-center placement, and excellent clarity in every scene.

Along Came Polly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Along Came Polly contains several bonus features, but they must all be accessed in-film via the "pop-up" menu screen. There is no "top menu on the disc. Pressing the "pop-up" menu button brings up a traditional (albeit now older style) Universal menu, so why there is no top menu screen is curious (can that really save any money or time in disc production?). When the film ends, it begins playback again with the pop-up menu automatically activated to the "Extras" tab. Anyway, that "pop-up" menu includes options to play the film, select chapters, setup video and audio, and choose amongst the extras, which are outlined below. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Original Opening of "Along Came Polly" (480i, 1:36): Available with optional commentary by Writer/Director John Hamburg.
• Rodolfo Goes Hollywood (480i, 4:40): A tongue-in-cheek look at the film's ferret attending the film's premiere.
• Deleted Scenes (480i, 6:06 total runtime): A few scenes that were removed from the film. Available with optional commentary by Writer/Director John Hamburg.
• Outtakes (480i, 4:33): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Making of Along Came Polly (480i, 10:27): Looking at basics like story, characters, performances, and more.
• Theatrical Trailer (480i, 2:32).
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director John Hamburg discusses the film with keen insight and an agreeable manner.

Along Came Polly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Along Came Polly is a film of extremes: extreme infidelity: extreme caution, extreme commitment issues, one character's extreme living, another character's extreme desire to be relevant again. But the film works to bring most all of them to a middle ground by film's end and, of course, offer audiences a "happily ever after" that seems "hopelessly ever after" only minutes into the movie. It's a decent entertainer that should satisfy genre fans who don't mind a little bit of crude humor along the way. Universal's Blu-ray actually looks and sounds pretty good for a catalogue title, and a handful of extras are included. Fans will be pleased.