Many people have had trouble with finding that someone special and end up dating idiots in the process. Some people may even feel like they need some help getting a lasting relationship started. The new Will Smith movie Hitch is about a man who gives dating advice.

Alex Hitchens, Hitch, makes his living giving dating advice to men who are looking for a chance with the women of their dreams. He kept a very low profile and didn’t advertise what he did. Hitch doesn’t tell them to lie, though he does help to arrange some situations so that the women actually notice the men. Once the relationships start, the women are happy with men they wouldn’t have noticed before. Albert is Hitch’s newest client. Albert has been in love with Allegra Cole, a wealthy famous woman, but she has barely paid him any attention. Albert decided it was time to hire Hitch for some help. Hitch gave him advice for his meetings with Allegra, though Albert usually managed to goof in some way. Allegra didn’t mind.

Sara wrote a gossip column for one of the New York papers. She was supposed to be on vacation when she turned up with pictures of Allegra Cole’s boyfriend with another woman. She didn’t trust men and thought they were all after something. She and Hitch met one evening in a bar and had an interesting conversation. Hitch came up with a unique way to contact her and the two had a date that didn’t go as he planned. Pictures of Allegra and Albert together turned up in the other papers, and Sara couldn’t figure out why they were together. She started digging to find out how they got together. She only set up another meeting with Hitch because she found out he knew Albert someway. Several things went wrong, but Sara and Hitch did have a good time. Sara heard about a date doctor, made some assumptions about exactly what he did, and decided she was going to expose him.

Basically all romantic comedies follow a formula and end up predictable. Two people meet, there is an attraction, they spend time together and hilarity ensues. Complications will arise before the happy ending. I have seen several romantic comedies, and I have enjoyed many of them. Some are better than others. I don’t mind movies being somewhat predictable if they are entertaining. When I see this type of movie, I know a few certain things will more than likely happen by the end. Hitch did follow parts of a formula and turn predictable later on, but I thought it was a very entertaining movie. There were a few sappy moments that did help to explain why a few characters acted the way they did. I didn’t expect several things that happened, which helped to make the movie more entertaining. The developing relationship between Hitch and Sara was the most developed in the movie, though Albert and Allegra’s relationship received attention as well. A lot happened in the movie, though it didn’t feel rushed. The pace did drag a little, but it wasn’t so bad that the movie turned boring. The movie wasn’t trying to be serious. This is a movie meant to be watched just for entertainment.

Love and romance was very important in Hitch. Things related to dating and starting a relationship were shown throughout the movie. There was a lot of kissing. Some of the characters mentioned sex, but there were no sex scenes. There was also no nudity. Will Smith and Eva Mendes wore some sort of tight suit like some surfers wear during one part of the movie. The top of Eva’s wasn’t zipped up very high, so it did look like she was going to pop right out at any moment. Cleavage was shown in some other scenes, but I didn’t think there was as much being shown as there has been in some other movies. Kevin James did have his shirt off in one scene, but not much was seen because of what was going on. Anyone in the mood to see some steamy sex scenes should pick a different movie.

Will Smith first appeared in a comedy on television before making the switch to movies. He has been in some action movies like the Bad Boys movies, and I, Robot that had bits of humor in them. His other movies, like the Men in Black movies, have had more comedy in them. Smith isn’t a stranger to comedy, though he has never been in a romantic comedy before. I thought that he did very well in Hitch. He and Kevin James had some very funny scenes together. Smith also handled the romance part well, though some humor usually turned up in those scenes as well. He was hilarious in a few scenes. Some of what made me laugh the most was a bit silly, but I don’t think the movie was really silly overall. There have been some hints of romance in some of his other movies, but none were focused on it like this one was. Hitch was a very different movie for him. With some of his other movies, it has seemed like his characters were all the same. I didn’t feel that way about Hitch. I have seen most of Smith’s movies and enjoyed them for the most part, but Smith has annoyed me at times and gotten on my nerves in some of his movies. I think I found the way he provided the voice for the main character in Shark Tale to be the most annoying. Thankfully he didn’t act annoying in this movie. I really enjoyed his performance in this movie.

Eva Mendes was fine as Sara, but I didn’t think there was anything outstanding about her performance - unless I take into account the scenes when her breasts looked like they were going to pop out. I barely remember her being in Exit Wounds, though that may be because it has been several years since I watched that one. I do remember her performance in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Out of Time though. She was fine in those movies as well, but again nothing special. Many other actresses could have done the same with her part. I don’t dislike Mendes or anything like that, but she is far from one of my favorite actresses. I didn’t like Sara too much. She wasn’t that nice at times and quick to judge. She took advantage of whatever chance she could to try and get a new story. She didn’t stop to think how her stories impacted the people she wrote about. I thought she was a hypocrite because she got very upset with someone for not being entirely truthful with her when she has done the same thing.

Kevin James was wonderful as Albert in Hitch. He was a kind, caring man that had no luck with women so he hired Hitch for help. He seemed a bit shy, especially around women, and he was clumsy. He tended to have accidents with mustard. He listened to the advice Hitch gave him, though things seemed to go wrong for him. Albert still did his own unique style of dancing when he was out with Allegra though. His dancing was very funny. Kevin James was very funny throughout the movie and I loved his character. He portrayed Albert in a way that didn’t make him look like an idiot even when something went wrong. His scenes with Hitch were my favorites in the movie. Kevin James has been on the television show King of Queens for several years. Amber Valletta was fine as Allegra Cole. She was believable as a wealthy, famous woman that wanted to be loved for herself and not her fortune. She had a small part in What Lies Beneath.

Obviously Hitch was the main character. He managed to help a lot of men gain chances with the women they loved. He kept what he did a secret and didn’t advertise. He got new clients as referrals from old clients. He didn’t even share his name with potential clients until he decided if he was going to work with them. He only agreed to work with men that were hoping to start long term relationships. Some things about his past were shared that did help explain certain things about him. Even with that information, he wasn’t developed too much. Sara, Albert, and Allegra were developed even less. That didn’t make the movie less entertaining to me. I expected that the character development wouldn’t be the greatest. More time was given to putting the characters in situations that would get laughs, which did work for the movie. The characters were developed enough to be interesting.

CHARACTERS

Alex Hitchens - People called him Hitch. He worked helping men with their relationships. He wanted to help people. He was interested in Sara when they first met, though things didn’t go like he planned.

Sara - She wrote a gossip column for one of the papers in New York City. She wasn’t interested in dating and didn’t trust men. She thought they were all the same. She would use any means necessary to get a new story. She was protective of her friends and family.

Albert - Shy, somewhat clumsy man that wanted a chance with Allegra Cole. He’d had bad experiences with relationships in the past, so he decided to get help from Hitch.

Allegra Cole - Wealthy, famous woman that started to date Albert once she noticed him. Some of her previous relationships had ended badly. She was more down to earth than a lot of people expected her to be.

CAST

Kevin James - Albert
Eva Mendes - Sara
Will Smith - Hitch
Amber Valletta - Allegra

Hitch was released on February 11, 2005. The movie was 115 minutes long and rated PG-13. There wasn’t anything offensive in the movie, but it isn’t a movie for children. Kids, like the three sitting a few rows ahead of me that had been told at home they were going to see Racing Stripes, won’t be interested in what is going on. There really wasn’t much to keep kids interested. It might be all right for older kids, provided they would be interested in the plot to begin with. There was a little bit of swearing used, though it wasn’t as bad as it is in many other movies. The word that rhymes with luck was used once.

Hitch had a few problems, but overall it was a good romantic comedy. It was very funny and entertaining, and is worth checking out. Will Smith probably gave his least annoying performance in a movie in this one, so people who have been bothered by him in the past may not be this time.

Related Reviews

Men in Black ~ Men in Black II ~ Bad Boys II ~ I, Robot ~ Shark Tale ~ Exit Wounds ~ Once Upon a Time in Mexico ~ Out of Time ~ What Lies Beneath ~



Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older