I don't know why Phillip Seymour Hoffman does ONLY serious roles now? He is a FANTASTIC Comedic actor! EVERY SINGLE SCENE with him in Along Came Polly was HYSTERICAL! He and Alec Baldwin are the ONLY reasons to watch this very MEDIOCRE movie! PS Hoffman is MUCH FUNNIER than Ben Stiller!
For some reason your Sandy/Polly thread made me think of this. Hoffman may have learned from Sandy to not get stuck in a rut of having a memorable comedic role and not having much else to show for his career.
Imagination is everything. It's a preview of life's coming attractions.
I was referring to THIS movie. I agree, I enjoyed Ben Stiller in Meet The Parents. But, PS Hoffman "stole the show" in Along Came Polly! Terrific performance!
Hoffman's character, Sandy, was annoying as hell. He was a poor example of a friend for Stiller's character, Reuben. This is as opposed as John Candy's character to that of Tom Hanks in "Splash."
He was not believable as a person who could give sensible advice to Reuben.
Sandy's character during the plays was overbearing and annoying.
It was forced when Reuben's father gave a speech to Sandy, and then Sandy suddenly has a change of heart?
And Sandy was REALLY annoying when he made those loud shrill sounds at the business meeting.
All of the things you mentioned about Sandy were what made him funny! Also, at the end of the movie, Sandy DOES become the "sensible" good friend. He listens to Reuben's father and changes his ways.