Philip Seymour Hoffman: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

And 5 That Sucked...

5. Sandy Lyle - Along Came Polly

We don't think it's beyond the pale to suggest that this was one of those major studio low-brow films Philip Seymour Hoffman made for money. Everybody's got bills to pay, right? We can't see there being much other draw to this thoroughly middle-of-the-road rom-com from 2004, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston as a couple of star-crossed lovers. Oh and there's a ferret in there for some reason, too. From the co-writer of Meet The Parents, Along Came Polly contains very little of the manic energy or wit of that previous Stiller comedy, instead just going off like a damp squib. One thing Along Came Polly had that Meet The Parents didn't, however, is Academy Award winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. A year before he was bestowed that honour, but still, this isn't exactly the sort of thing he usually did. He also went for a drastically different role from his usual sort - which, considering he was one of the most versatile performers working, was impressive - as the schlubby Sandy Lyle, comic relief and foil, the best friend to Ben Stiller's insurance risk assessment expert Reuben Feffer. We don't blame Hoffman for his turn in this film. He didn't have a whole lot to work with, and the part of Sandy was clearly written with Jack Black in mind. As such, he ends up putting in a pretty decent approximation of Black's slightly gross slacker persona, and definitely has some standout moments - including an incredibly unathletic game of basketball and the infamous €œsharting€ scene - but it's really not up to par with his usual work.