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 [France] Sony Pictures [United States]

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

Throughout the walkie talkie exchange between Hitch and Sara both characters fail multiple times to key their mic yet the squawk sound still plays.

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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

Featured in 'Hitch': Dance Steps Made Easy (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Amado Mio"
(1946)
Written by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts
Published by Universal Music Corp. o/b/o Doris Fisher Music Corp. and Allan Roberts Music Co. and Music Sales Copr. o/b/o Allan Roberts Music Co.
Performed by Pink Martini
Courtesy of Heinz Records
Under license from Naïve

User Reviews

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