Hitch (2005/I)

Director:

Andy Tennant

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Bisch (written by)

Release Date:

11 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The cure for the common man.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Gossip | New York City | Martial Arts | Quitting Job | Courtship

Awards:

3 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Will Smith	...	Alex 'Hitch' Hitchens
Eva Mendes	...	Sara Melas
Kevin James	...	Albert Brennaman
Amber Valletta	...	Allegra Cole
Julie Ann Emery	...	Casey Sedgewick
Adam Arkin	...	Max
Robinne Lee	...	Cressida Baylor
Nathan Lee Graham	...	Geoff
Michael Rapaport	...	Ben
Jeffrey Donovan	...	Vance Munson
Paula Patton	...	Mandy
Philip Bosco	...	Mr. O'Brian
Kevin Sussman	...	Neil
Navia Nguyen	...	Mika
Matt Malloy	...	Pete

Also Known As:

The Last First Kiss (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some strong sexual references.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40751) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Sweden:Btl | New Zealand:M | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:10 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:MG6 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The movie that Sara is watching in her apartment is Jerry Maguire (1996).

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Geoff meets the Date Doctor at the zoo, he says he heard of him from Albert Brenneman. But Geoff is unaware of the connection between the Date Doctor and Albert; instead, Geoff knows of the Date Doctor through Vance Munson, who gave his card to Sara Melas. While Sara and Geoff are indeed aware of the connection between Hitch and Albert, they are unaware that the "Date Doctor" is Hitch, and Geoff has never met Hitch so he doesn't know that that is who he is talking to.

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...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Late Show with David Letterman: (#12.94)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

She Wants to Move (Mac & Toolz Remix)

Often Very Funny and Worth Watching

Will Smith is Alex "Hitch" Hitchens, a long-time bachelor who has become known as the New York City "date doctor" who charges to help men get the women of their dreams. Although he helps all these other men, he somehow is not able to have nearly as much success with Sara (Eva Mendes), the woman he himself loves.

Hitch is a safe yet funny and entertaining romantic comedy. The premise sounds pretty good and the execution is also pretty good. Yes, it is very predictable and kind of cheesy. However, that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. I think Hitch is better than most romantic comedies that have come out in the past year because the characters are likable and Smith & Mendes have enough chemistry together to make the film work. Will Smith is very charming as Hitch. He plays the role well and he never gets annoying. It's also nice to see him in a film that doesn't involve a bunch of things blowing up. Eva Mendes also gives a pretty good performance and she is also very pretty.

Surprisingly, the best thing about Hitch is Kevin James. His performance is funny and also pretty realistic. The only problem is that most of his scenes appear in the trailer and this lessens the effect. I never really liked him before but now I hope he makes more movie appearances. Out of the four main actors, Amber Valletta is the weakest. She gives an average performance and she just doesn't fit well with the other three. The rest of the supporting actors are also pretty funny, especially the customers that ask Hitch for help.

The only problem I really have with Hitch is that it plays it too safe. If it was a little more edgier than the film could have been really good but it still stands an enjoyable romantic comedy. It's not really surprising that the film is safe since Andy Tennant is the director. He directed It Takes Two and Sweet Home Alabama. He's like the king of harmless, fluff films and Hitch is his best work to date. Another thing that bothered me was the running time. 118 minutes is too long for a predictable story and it does take a toll on the audience. I think it's bad since the story is by-the-numbers and the film takes awhile to reach obvious places. If it was a little shorter, than it would have been fine. In the end, Hitch is an enjoyable romantic comedy and one of the funniest films I have seen this year. Rating 8/10