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

Michael Rapaport's character Ben underwent many drastic changes during the screen writing process. Among the items that changed during writing and filming, were his personality, nationality, and age.

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Goofs

As Hitch tries to win Sara back, her hair changes length, style, and position throughout the scene.

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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 Torchwood: Random Shoes (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Closer"
(2002)
Performed by Goapele Mohlabane (as Goapele)
Courtesy of Skyblaze Recordings
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

Romantic Comedy Fit For Both Men And Women. Highly Recommended!

Hitch is about a man who knows what works with women and teaches the guys who do not do well with them some tricks of the trade. Actually, he more or less walks them through it. Hitch guarantees success up until the dreaded 3rd date kiss. After that, they are on their own. Of course, Hitch finds a girl who he falls for and everything that he thinks he knows does not work out for himself, when following the same guidelines. The movie was a well-written romantic comedy which both guys and girls could have a fun time watching. Perfect for Valentine's Day, which I'm sure was no marketing coincidence it was released on Valentine's Day weekend.

Will Smith is perfect as Hitch. His performance here reminded me of a more mature, possibly grown up Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. He was the smooth talker and was able to read any situation for himself or his clients to make a memorable impression, then have a memorable date with the women his clients are affectionate towards. Sounds a little sleazy, but Hitch has his own rules. He does not help out the guys who want to "Hit it and quit it", so to speak, only those who really seem to like or love the woman they are after. One thing the film never gets into is what Hitch makes for a job like this, as I wonder how much something like that could be worth in monetary value.

Eva Mendes plays Sara, Hitch's love interest. She does quite a good job in her role here. Sara is the type of girl who is always on the defense when approached by men, therefore, is leery of any advances. Hitch reads her well and makes his way in, until she discovers what is is he actually does. For some reason, women tend to take offense to his "job".

Kevin James is also perfect as Albert, a man who is in love with a rich woman named Allegra Cole, but she does not know he exists. His expressions of nervousness and fright are hilarious. Heck, the movie is just a darn good one. Nothing too offensive, a bad word here or there but nothing major. I do not think it warrants it's PG-13 rating, but a plain old PG would be fine for me. Regardless of it's rating, I can honestly recommend Hitch to just about anyone and Will Smith rarely disappoints. 9.5/10