A Celebration of "Along Came Polly"

"Along Came Polly" is on my short list of movies that I will always watch when they play on TV. It took me a couple of viewings to warm up to this movie, but now I could probably recite the script on command.

The movie follows the classic formula of uptight guy (Ben Stiller) meets free-spirit girl (Jennifer Aniston) and learns to be less uptight-ish. It has Debra Messing and Aniston, two primetime TV darlings, in one movie! It has Hank Azaria in a speedo, speaking in a French accent, talking about the "appy eepo!" (Carlos Ponce owes any compliment he gets on his speedo-sporting role in "Couples Retreat" to Azaria.) It has Philip Seymour Hoffman, before he started acting like a douc- I mean serious ac-tor, introducing the audience to the term "sharting."

True, you know what's going to happen, but "Polly" throws in so many scenes that you could never anticipate. How about a pick-up basketball game involving the nastiest guy ever to play for the "Skins" team? Or how about Stiller sweating bullets while eating Middle Eastern food because of his IBS? The over-the-top physical comedy, unrealistic visual effects, and real heart unexpectedly combine to make a fun movie.

The absolute highlight of this movie for me is the following quote by Stiller in his climactic attempt to win back his girl Aniston, "Since we have been together I have felt more uncomfortable, out of place, embarrassed, and just physically sick than I have in my entire life. But I couldn't have gone through that, I couldn't have thrown up 19 times in 48 days if I wasn't in love with you." Aww, swoon.

"Polly" is true cinematic comfort food. A night involving this movie, mac 'n' cheese, and maybe even a Snuggie would be a true winner. This movie consistently makes me happy and, in a world where you can't count on a lot of things, that's more than enough for me.

"New York"...It's Complicated

As I sit here in the coffee shop, the pressure is on to churn out a blog with a mere 50 minutes remaining on my computer's battery and not an electrical outlet in sight. So, let's jump on in.

I saw "New York, I Love You" which was the first movie I had been genuinely excited about during this cinematically dismal fall. My excitement was based mostly on the first movie in this new "series" of sorts, "Paris, Je T'aime" (released 2007) and not on my actual love for New York, which is love/hate at best. "Paris" was a collection of several short films, each representing an arrondissement, or quarter, of Paris. Each film was helmed by a different director and many were very very good (see: the final short with the American tourist in Paris) and some were just strange (see: Elijah Wood's section). As a whole, though, the movie is now a part of my all-time favorites.

So maybe it was all this self-made hype or perhaps this golden child, older sibling of "Paris" that made "New York" a bit underwhelming. Maybe it was the fact that it was (understandably) in English and not French like its predecessor. Whatever it was, I'm having trouble deciding how I feel about the movie.

I love that this series of movies has made short films accessible in mainstream movie theaters. I really enjoy being able to sample all sorts of directors without committing to 90 minutes or more of their work. I also love the inherent quirkiness of each short.

A big surprise for me was how much I enjoyed Ethan Hawke's performance. That little guy was so charming in his role that I almost forgot about the fact that he broke his real-life ex-wife, Uma Thurman's, heart a couple years ago. Let's see you redeem yourself like THAT, Ryan Phillippe.

By far, the best segment was directed by Brett Ratner. It involves a prom and a wheelchair and a scene that will have you thinking, "Am I really seeing this?!"

Two of the segments, one with Shia LaBeouf and the other set in Chinatown, seemed to drag on forever to the point where I just wanted them to end. That's the kind of feeling I expect in a trip to the DMV or a dental cleaning, but not in movies. That's not ok, "New York."

As a whole, this movie, which is made up of stories involving love, didn't elicit a real emotional reaction from me. It was interesting, beautiful at times, but I didn't feel a strong connection. In the world of love and relationships, I think this movie and I should just be friends.