Hitch (I) (2005)

While helping his latest client woo the fine lady of his dreams, a professional "date doctor" finds that his game doesn't quite work on the gossip columnist with whom he's smitten.

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writer:

Kevin Bisch

Stars:

Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James

3 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Smith	...	Hitch
Eva Mendes	...	Sara
Kevin James	...	Albert
Amber Valletta	...	Allegra
Julie Ann Emery	...	Casey
Adam Arkin	...	Max
Robinne Lee	...	Cressida
Nathan Lee Graham	...	Geoff
Michael Rapaport	...	Ben
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Vance
Paula Patton	...	Mandy
Philip Bosco	...	Mr. O'Brian
Kevin Sussman	...	Neil
Navia Nguyen	...	Mika
Matt Malloy	...	Pete

Storyline

Alex Hitchens is "The Date Doctor." He helps men to land dates. Sara is a gossip columnist for a New York City tabloid. Both are very guarded around the opposite sex. Despite their natures, Alex and Sara begin a relationship. Complications ensue when Sara's latest scoop happens to be one of Alex's clients.

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Plot Keywords:

gossip | new york city | surveillance | hand to hand combat | courtship | 

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Taglines:

The cure for the common man.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [fr] Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last First Kiss

Filming Locations:

12th Street and 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$146,071 (Norway) (18 March 2005)

Gross:

£17,306,574 (UK) (6 May 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Overbrook Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Will Smith, the female lead was supposed to be Caucasian, but the producers didn't want to make the lead couple interracial as it was considered a taboo. They also didn't want the female lead to be black as they feared it would alienate white audiences, so they decided to go with a Hispanic female lead instead.

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Goofs

At the Knicks game, the people in the crowd in the background behind Albert and Allegra changes between shots. Also, initially there are two empty seats between Albert and the next fan to his left, then there are three empty seats when a couple sits down beside Albert. Then at the end of the scene, there are no empty seats.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hitch: Basic principles: no woman wakes up saying, "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!" Now, she might say, "This is a really bad time for me," or something like, "I just need some space," or my personal favorite, "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that? Neither does she. You know why? Because she's lying to you, that's why. You understand me? Lying! It's not a bad time for her. She doesn't need any space. And she may be into her career, but what she's really...

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Connections

Referenced in Parks and Recreation: Leslie and Ben (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Five Fathoms"
(1999)
Written by Ben Watt
Published by Sony/ATV Songs LLC o/b/o Sony/ATV Music Publishing UK Ltd.
Performed by Everything But The Girl
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing and Courtesy of Virgin Records Limited

User Reviews

Pleasantly surprised...

I saw this movie screened last night, and you know what? I liked it. For the most part, it's a by the numbers 'chick flick', but makes no pretensions to be more than that, and in fact, is very good for what it is.

The easy thing to do would be to take potshots at this film; throw out things like 'Fresh Prince', 'getting jiggy with it', and even throw around the whole 'black dude making a white dude cool' angle; but that's too easy isn't it? Like shooting fish in a barrel.

No, this isn't a Wes Anderson film. The humor is rather broad, though much it very funny. Of course you won't see it up for an Oscar (what a tired joke that is); nor does it contain Quientin Tarantion-esquire dialogue or groundbreaking visuals.

But taken for what it is, a romantic comedy, it really is very good. Great chemistry between all the leads. Eve Mendes is gorgeous. And Kevin James steals nearly every scene he's in. It gets a bit sappy towards the end (don't all mainstream romantic comedies though?), but if you're looking for a above average date movie with more than a few belly laughs, this is your film.

A solid B+.