ALONG CAME POLLY

You know, there’s a lot of talk about what constitutes a good date movie. But few discuss a lesser known but more often applied standard - what makes a good married couple movie?

I know a lot of you can relate to this. You are at the video store with your other half. You’re trying to decide on the perfect movie. One of you (usually the girl) suggests that it might be great to rent the new Jim Jarmusch film starring Johnny Depp that relates five different points of view on severe heroin addiction. The other one (usually the guy) says, yeah, well, couldn’t we just get something funny?

You sigh (cuz you’re the smart, weary one in the story). You realize that you were coming to the store for a comedy all aloou do.

I laughed out loud at least a dozen times watching Along Came Polly. That was much more than I hoped for. Each flawed character was wonderfully realized, with the script and situations tightly drawn enough to keep a fantastic comic pace and tone throughout.

Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston know how to do this stuff really well of humanity, comedy and absurdity inter-woven into each of her scenes.

The supporting cast is all strong, with really fun lines and parts written that they can run with, but I must mention the big three here: Alec Baldwin, Hank Azaria (without Phil Hartman around, Hank is th

If you’re aren’t married, you can rent this too. Nice of me to dole out permission all around, huh?! But especially for the forlorn comedy-hunting married people, put this one down on your list.

In red. No brainer.

Additional Note: Credit where credit is due, this film isn’t just funny, it’s crafty and well done. The climactic proving-his-love scene comes down to a form of proof I have never seen anything remotely like on film - original and sweet. Hard to do with a comedy and done well. Bravo.