Not great but enjoyable, mainly thanks to the charismatic performances from all

Rating: Null/10 (11 December 2005)

Alex Hitchens has a skill with women and he earns his very comfortable living by helping men through the first three dates with the women of their choice  no matter how unattainable they are. He doesn't do it so the men can "win" but instead to help the women see the man inside, passed all the dorky mannerisms and social failings they may have. He only works by recommendations and he keeps a low profile. With his latest client, Albert, he is trying to help fix him up with the famous Allegra Cole, while he himself is trying to win over reporter Sara  the former surprisingly going better than the latter. However Alex couldn't see how the two relationships would end up affecting his whole business.
When a star really pushes the boat out to try and promote his movie, you do have to wonder how good the film actually is. So when Will Smith turned up on Broad Street in Birmingham as part of 4 UK premiers in one day I did think that perhaps nobody trusted the reviews to be able to sell this film on its own merits. However I finally relented and give it a try and found it to be quite an enjoyable little comedy  nothing special but having just enough wit and charm to fill the time. The plot is very thin and goes to the conclusion that you always knew it would but yet somehow it is still enjoyable. This may be down to the script which as plenty of small laughs along the way and gets good mileage out of introducing us to Hitch's world and working with Albert while also developing the stuff with Sara. It isn't rocket science but it does work.
What really helps is that the cast are all into it and have enough charisma to choke a horse. Smith leads the affair with his usual swagger but is still confident enough to have his image punctured at times to the benefit of the film. He seems to mix really well with both his co-stars. Mendes looks sexy and sassy throughout and her energy helps to make more of her character. James may be just another fat man in a comedic role but he works with his basic tools well and is quite funny at turns. Valletta is quite enjoyable in a smaller role while faces like Arkin, Donovan and Rapaport fill out the cast list despite not having a great deal to do. Nobody is brilliant but the lead three do have enough charm to cover up for the fact that the material is just rather ho-hum for the majority.
Overall then an enjoyable but unspectacular rom-com that does nothing new but at least has energy and charm. The cast do well to get mileage out of the concept while the writers have done enough to stop it sagging too often. Genre fans will enjoy it of course but its charm and broad humour will make it a nice, if forgettable, experience for the casual viewer.