Along Came Polly possesses a rather odd melding of three different comedy sub-genres. First there is the There's Something About Mary style gross-out comedy, mixed with the Meet The Parents style comedy of errors combined with the typical conventions of romantic comedy. The filmmakers are clearly aiming to a wide crowd but does anyone come away satisfied?

Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) is a risk analyst who is at the top of his game. His life is meticulously planned out to avoid any risky situations. Even his impending marriage with the safe Lisa Kramer (Debra Messing) is carefully organised. One thing he didn't plan on though is the fling his wife goes on during their honeymoon.

When he arrives home, a distraught Reuben realises that his life needs to become more spontaneous and starts going out with the free-spirited flaky waitress Polly (Jennifer Aniston). Yet he could never have predicted the embarrassing and 'hilarious' situations which ensue.

Coming from the co-writer of Meet The Parents, expectations are high for another Ben Stiller comedy. Yet the humour is of a far more broader, slapstick variety. There are embarrassing moments yet they are less carefully orchestrated. Most of the jokes do revolve around farting, falling over and a blind ferret. However, it is entertaining, mainly due to the two lead stars.

No-one plays this kind of role as well as Ben Stiller does and although he's not on top form he's still incredibly likeable and funny. Jennifer Aniston has already proved herself as a very talented comedienne and she continues to show this in a 'Phoebe' style character.

The supporting cast, meanwhile, desperately try to scene-steal but it largely doesn't work. Phillip Seymour Hoffman tries too hard and becomes annoying by the finale. Hank Azaria believes that talking in a funny accent is funny (clue - it's not) and Debra Messing is largely pointless.

In fact there's not really much about the film that merits attention. As an entertaining throwaway rom-com it's perfectly watchable and god knows there have been worse. But right down to the 'running after a taxi to stop her from leaving' ending, it's all highly predictable.

The US success shows that audiences are largely undiscerning when it comes to comedies but don't let them fool you into thinking it's as funny as they think it is. It's not.

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